Third Time's a Charm
by JenRar
Summary: Steph helps Ranger with a group of distractions. Lots of steamy lemons. Now edited & re-posted.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: JE owns them. I do not._

~oooOOOooo~

**Third Time's a Charm**

~oOo~

**Chapter 1: Ranger Asks For a Favor  
Stephanie's POV**

Four months, twelve days, and sixteen hours since I last "got busy" with a man, as Lula liked to put it. Not that I was counting or anything. My last memory of sex with Joe was...wistful, I supposed. It had been kind of a last hurrah on both our parts. We'd known we were over, but a history like ours was a little bit hard to get past. But I had. And now, I was waiting patiently, or as patiently as I could possibly get, for Ranger to finally step up and make a move.

He'd promised me that if Joe ever left my bed for long enough, he'd move in on me. But again, almost eighteen weeks had gone by and we hadn't made much progress. I contemplated our "relationship" as I stalked around getting dressed to go meet Lula and Connie for doughnuts and FTA files. My body hummed as I thought about seeing Ranger at the office, knowing he had the uncanny ability to show up shortly after I did. And I hoped with everything I had that he would drag me into the alley and kiss me senseless as he normally did.

Ranger and I had had sexual tension between us almost from the very beginning. Ever since Joe and I broke up, Ranger had kept me wound up tighter than a drum. When I sensed him coming into the room, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as always, but now, I immediately soaked my panties. It was a good thing that I did my own laundry or my mother might have thought I was wetting the bed again, which I hadn't done since I was five.

Just the thought of Ranger made my nipples pucker tight as I pulled up the curb at the bonds office and got out, hauling the box of doughnuts with me.

"Skinny-ass white girl, look at you today! You be lookin' all kinds of fine in that skirt," Lula nearly shouted as I opened the door to the office. "Connie, look at Steph!"

"Why, Stephanie, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were hoping to run into someone special," Connie said, chuckling.

"Who me? No, no, can't think who that would be," I said, smiling. Then I felt it. The electricity seemed to crackle and there was the familiar rise of the hair on the back of my neck just before a warm, strong hand reached up to splay gently across my lower back.

"Good morning, ladies. Babe," Ranger murmured. "Any files for me today, Connie?"

"Here ya go," Connie said as she swallowed the bite of doughnut she'd just taken. "Here, Steph, take yours, too."

Ranger leaned down, his lips lightly brushing the top of my ear, and whispered, "Could I see you outside, Babe?"

The girls sighed as I flashed them a bright smile and went out the door. Ranger grabbed my hand lightly and pulled me with him. I stuck my files in my bag as he tossed his into the truck before pulling me around the corner into the alley.

Suddenly, Ranger's hands were on my hips, spinning me around and pinning me to the bricks behind me, his lips crashing into mine as if by some magical force. I brought my hands up and fisted them through his long hair, holding on for dear life as his lips moved their way down my neck to my collarbone. His right hand ran down my side, gliding over my hip to my knee and then slowly back up as he kissed his way back to my mouth. When his tongue snaked out to catch mine, his hand grabbed my leg, pulling it up around him. My skirt rode up high, and my incredibly wet panties began to rub against the bulge in his jeans.

I moaned into Ranger's mouth, gasping for air as his lips left mine and moved to my ear.

"I have a job for you, Babe, if you're interested."

"A-A job?" I gasped, barely able to catch my breath. Damn the man. How he could turn it on and off like that was unexplainable.

"Distraction."

I tried to lower my leg, but he held firm, pushing his hips a bit harder to me.

"Raaaanger. God! I can't think when we're like this!" He made a move away, and I moved my hands quickly to cup his firm ass, pulling him back against me. "I didn't say I didn't like it," I clarified with a giggle.

"Tonight, Babe. I'll be by your place at six with dinner and we can talk about the job for tonight." And with that, he gently lowered my leg, placed a hard, quick kiss to my lips, and then was around the corner and in his truck before I could catch my breath.

Oh hell, I loved that man, but if my stupid job didn't kill me, he would most certainly be the death of me! I straightened my clothes, walked back to the door of the office, and knocked, motioning to Lula that it was time to go. I waved at Connie before moving around and climbing into the black Explorer, the latest of the vehicles that Ranger had loaned me after my last car exploded. How he trusted me with his cars, I had no idea. I always swear it's never my fault, but I normally get blamed anyway...even though Ranger never blames me.

~oOo~

As I drove home later that evening, I felt quite proud of myself. Not only had I managed to stay clean while picking up three FTAs, I'd lasted another day without an exploding vehicle. _Might just be a record this time,_ I thought, grinning to myself. I let myself into my apartment, still grinning wildly, and when I turned to close and lock the door, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt a warm body pressed up against my back. I gasped loudly and then felt the arms go around my waist, pulling me to him.

Ranger's voice was low when he spoke near my ear. "Babe. You need to be more aware of your surroundings."

I pushed my hips back, grinding myself gently on him until he grasped my hair, tilting my head back so he could attack my lips.

He moved his mouth to my ear, his tongue flicking in once and causing my body to tremble, before nearly whispering, "Mmm, not now Babe. We have to eat and plan for tonight."

I gave a frustrated groan, pulling myself out from under his arm and heading to the kitchen. I saw a Pino's sack on the counter and flashed my version of a two hundred-watt grateful smile. I grabbed a Coke and a bottle of water from the fridge, tossed him the water, and then took the dinner sack and my Coke to the couch.

Ranger opened his mouth to talk and I growled, "I didn't have much lunch, so if you're smart, you'll wait until I've had a bite before you talk."

He laughed quietly, giving me his own mega-watt smile, and then grabbed the salad and fork from the bag while I dug into the meatball sub he'd brought me. Within minutes, I'd finished most of the sandwich and half of the Coke, finally setting them on the coffee table and leaning back, feeling quite relaxed.

"So, the job tonight. You said a distraction?"

"Three, actually."

I squawked. "Three? In one night? Are you nuts?"

"Babe."

I closed my eyes at the sound of his amused tone, took a deep breath, and then looked at him to make sure he wasn't kidding. "Seriously, three? Just tonight?"

"Unavoidable, unfortunately. The first two are simple 'in-and-out-in-ten-minutes' type of jobs."

"Okay... And the third?" I questioned.

He gave me that half smile that I'd fallen in love with and said, "A little more involved. Shouldn't be dangerous, though. Just more time consuming. I'll be your partner on that one."

_Hmm, partner? Could be interesting..._ "Partner?" I asked expectantly.

"Babe."

"Ranger." I laughed to myself. Two could play that game. When he didn't respond, I sighed. "Okay, who's up first?"

"At eight, we'll meet Tank, Santos, Hal, and Bobby at Indigo, one of the newest nightclubs in town. The skip is Gary Ross. Thirty-five years old. Got pulled in for flashing a couple of joggers in the park. Seems he can't quite hold his liquor."

"Why is this a RangeMan case? Simple flasher. Not a high bond right?" I was confused.

"High enough. The joggers were fifteen."

"Oh," I muttered.

"Lester and I will be in the club as customers when you come in, Tank and Bobby will be outside, and Hal will be behind the bar. You just go in and do what you do so well—lead him out front, and Tank and Bobby will grab him."

"Simple enough," I said, stretching my legs out in front of me on the couch and turning sideways to face him.

"You're killing me, Babe," Ranger said, his voice sounding strained as his eyes wandered up my legs to the edge of my short skirt.

"Not now, Batman." I grinned. "Who's second?"

"John Smith."

I giggled. "Seriously? Who really names their kid John Smith?"

He smirked, his lips curling up slightly. "Johnny was a bad boy. Got caught with enough marijuana to supply half the city. Same thing applies at Eternity tonight as it did at Indigo. In and out, no problem."

I waited for the other shoe to drop. Ranger was acting fairly casual, but I could see the tension in his shoulders, and his blank face came down as he prepared to tell me about the third skip.

"C'mon, Batman. Spill," I said gently as I scooted over closer to him.

He put his arms out and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me up on his lap so I was facing sideways. "Ben Nichols. He's...a little more dangerous." He tightened his hold on my waist slightly. "You won't have to worry. I'll be right beside you every minute."

"Ranger, you're kind of scaring me. Just tell me. What did he do? And how are you going to be there beside me?"

"He's charged with rape and assault."

I whimpered softly, causing his lips to move to the spot below my jaw.

"I got you, Babe. Let me finish, and then if you don't want to do this, I'll find another way."

I nodded, croaking out, "Sorry."

"Babe," he murmured. "No need to apologize. Mr. Nichols likes to watch couples get very close—on the dance floor and off. He watches them while they dance and while they get close at a table. Then he gets close to them and attempts to engage them in a threesome."

My eyes widened. "Oh... So you and I..." My voice trailed off as I shivered, my panties dampening at the thought.

"Yes, you and I will go in as a couple and try to gain his interest. We'll most likely need to spend at least a couple of hours there. Like I said, I won't leave your side the whole time. I won't put you in danger, Babe."

"Oh, Ranger, I know. I'm always safe with you." I straightened my shoulders, gave him a soft kiss on the lips, and stared off across the room.

"I smell burning, Babe. What's on your mind?"

I laughed. "Just being a woman. Wondering what I should wear tonight."

"Taken care of, Babe. It's on the bed. Go take a shower and get dressed."

I started to get up, but his arms tightened around me again, one hand moving up to the back of my neck and pulling me in close until his lips met mine. He kissed me hard, sucking my lower lip into his mouth and biting gently before allowing it to slide out. Then he set me on my feet.

I turned and glared at him, breathless for a minute.

"Babe?"

"How do you do that? How can that not affect you?" I asked argumentatively, feeling the heat still pooling in my lower belly.

He growled low in his chest, reached for my hand, and then pulled it down to his lap. I heard a squeak and realized it had come from me when I felt the throbbing of his obvious erection straining at his jeans. My hand automatically tried to grasp him through his clothes, wanting to feel more.

"_Dios mio!_" Ranger cried out, quickly moving my hand. "Not now. No time." He looked up at me slyly from under his lashes. "But if you're good, maybe later." He winked and then gave me a light shove toward the bedroom.

~oOo~

I jumped in the shower without bothering to look at the items on the bed. I took a nearly Ranger-speed shower, sadly exchanging the Bulgari I'd "procured" from Ranger's bathroom for the strawberry shampoo and shower gel I normally wore for a distraction. As soon as I was done, I hopped out, wrapped a towel around my body, and grabbed another for my hair. I opened the door and stepped out into the bedroom without looking up until I heard his breath catch.

Ranger was sitting on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. "_Dios,_ Babe. You're killing me."

I rolled my eyes. He hopped up and came over to me quickly, his face coming down in front of mine and his tongue snaking out to catch a drop a drop of water that was threatening to fall down between my breasts. My legs nearly folded out from under me, turning into jelly. He held me firmly in his grasp so I wouldn't fall and kissed his way up my chest to my neck and from there to my lips before finally letting me go. I stumbled to the bed to sit before I fell to the floor.

Looking at me quickly, I saw his eyes darken with desire even further than they'd already been, and then he grabbed the bag he'd evidently brought for himself and disappeared into the bathroom for his turn at the shower. I quickly pulled on a robe and grabbed my comb to start taming my crazy hair.

Seven minutes later, the bathroom door opened and Ranger stepped out, dressed in tight black jeans and an even tighter black T-shirt. He had a gold chain around his neck, hidden under his shirt, and a diamond stud in one ear. Hot damn. He was so fucking gorgeous, I could just eat him up.

"Babe," he chuckled.

"Stupid ESP." I ducked past him to quickly dry my hair and then turned around to finally look at the clothes he'd brought.

I was surprised. We weren't playing Skanky Distraction tonight. Nor were we playing Corporate Skanky. The dress that was laid out on my bed was short, even by my standards, but it was beautiful. I quickly grabbed the new black lace thong from beside the dress, loving the feel of the lace on my newly waxed bottom—thank you Lula for going to the spa with me yesterday!

I pulled the dress carefully over my head. It was black and fell to about four inches above my knee. It had a flirty hem that flowed away from my body, giving it lots of movement, spaghetti straps attached with gold hardware, and a built-in bra that would be fine holding up my sadly too-small breasts. The scoop neckline showed just the right amount of cleavage without looking trashy.

I smiled softly at him, raising up to whisper in his ear, "Thanks, Batman," before moving quickly to press a gentle kiss on his lips. Then I turned and headed back to the bathroom.

As quickly as I could, I finished my hair, choosing to leave it down in soft curls. I didn't bother arguing with myself when my inner voice taunted that I'd left it down because that was the way Ranger liked it. I put on the perfect amount of makeup and then grabbed my lipstick and powder to put in the new black clutch that was still on the bed beside my latest pair of black FMPs.

When I turned around and left the bathroom, I again heard Ranger gasp quietly and then he said, "I knew it would look good. You are truly beautiful, _querida._"

Taking my hand, he led me to the living room. He quickly went to the kitchen counter and picked up the tiny mic and tape he'd brought with him. I felt my nipples pucker hard when he turned around and began walking slowly back toward me, giving me the wolf-grin that only Ranger could perfect.

"Now, let's get you wired up," he murmured huskily.

_If he only knew how wired I already was..._

"Babe," he said in a low voice, a sparkle shining in his eyes as his lips turned upwards.

"Oh, shit, I said that out loud, didn't I?" I growled.

Suddenly, everything in me stopped as his hands slipped under the top of my dress. I closed my eyes, giving myself over to the feelings of his hands on me.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer still applies. Lyrics are from "Somewhere I Belong" by Linkin Park._

~oooOOOooo~

**Chapter 2: Indigo  
Stephanie's POV**

Ranger's knuckles brushed lightly against my nipple, forcing a quiet moan past my lips. I felt his other hand reach behind me and firmly press against my lower back, forcing our hips against each other. I looked up through my heavily mascara-coated lashes and watched as his eyes turned black as coal.

I knew from the steel of his erection pressing to me through his jeans that it was pure desire, not the black of anger I'd seen before. I rolled my hips, forcing them against Ranger's as my eyes fluttered closed. He leaned down, brushing his lips across my collarbone and up my neck to my ear. When he gently nipped at my earlobe, I gasped and jumped back.

"Time to go, Babe." Ranger smirked before his blank face appeared. He ushered me out the door, taking my keys and locking it before I had time to think.

Ranger and I arrived at Indigo twenty minutes later. I saw a RangeMan vehicle in the parking lot and knew the guys were close. Ranger was out his door and around to mine as soon as he turned off the car, opening my door and pulling me to him. My legs wrapped around his waist as he slid his hand up my leg to the edge of my dress. I felt my insides heat when it continued up over the dress, lightly palming my breast while he leaned in to kiss me gently.

His fingers moved, and when I moaned, he pulled back. "Just turning the mic on, Babe." Slipping a tiny earpiece in my ear, he said, "Say hello to the guys."

I swallowed, trying to tamp down the lust and frustration, and sighed. "Hi, boys. We about ready?"

I heard a chorus of "Hey, Beautiful!" from Lester and "Ready, Bomber," from the other two.

Ranger looked down at me while he went over last minute instructions. "Lester's already in. Tank and Bobby are around out here. Give me ten minutes and then follow me in. I'll be at a table by the door so I can see the bar, booths, and dance floor. Just go in, do your thing, and have Mr. Ross out as soon as you can."

He placed another quick kiss on my lips and then moved away. Turning, he gave me a wink and said into his mic, "Go get 'im, tiger."

I watched him walk into the club from my position in the truck. For the next ten minutes, I nervously checked and retouched my lipstick in the car mirror until I finally heard Tank's voice in my ear.

"Okay, Bomber, you're up."

Grabbing my purse, I hopped out and headed into the club. I opened the door and was immediately hit with brightly flashing lights and pulsing music, along with the flush of warmth from all the bodies. My eyes glanced quickly around the room, first spotting Lester on the dance floor with a gorgeous woman in his arms. I looked around, trying to see Ranger.

When I felt the zing run through my body, I knew he was close. Looking to the right, I finally saw him. The butterflies in my stomach started dancing to the heavy beat of the music coming out of the speakers. I felt the beat of Godsmack's "VooDoo" and my hips began to sway automatically to the music as I turned away again.

I smiled slightly and then made my way to the bar, catching the bartender's eye and ordering a Corona with lime. I knew I had two more distractions tonight, so I didn't want my defenses down because of my alcohol tolerance level—or lack there-of. I got my beer and turned around on my barstool to "skip watch."

Pretty soon, I heard Tank's voice over the earpiece. "Head's up, Bomber. Target coming in now."

I kept an eye on the door, and when I saw Ross walk in and head my way, I stood up, pretending to be a bit unsteady. When he passed, I stumbled into him.

"Oh my God!" I chirped. "I'm so sorry! I should have known three was my limit," I said before giggling.

Ross laughed while wiping off the front of his shirt with one hand. He took my empty hand in his, pressing it to his lips. "It's okay. No harm done. If I can't come to the club and get a drink thrown on me by a beautiful woman, something's wrong."

I wanted to gag at how slimy he sounded, but I put on my fake happy face, speaking in a voice a little bit above a whisper. "Would your girlfriend mind if I made it up to you by asking you to dance?"

"Mmm, no, no girlfriend, so no, she wouldn't."

He put down my empty beer and led me out onto the dance floor. As soon as we got there, Linkin Park's "Somewhere I Belong" came on and I smiled. I spun us around until I could see Ranger over Ross's shoulder as I began to dance.

_I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real  
I wanna let go of the pain I've held so long  
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)  
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real  
I wanna find something I've wanted all along  
Somewhere I belong._

I moved my body up and down, following along with the beat. Rotating us around so I had my back to the bar, I spun around, pushing my hips back against Ross's, and turned my head to watch Ranger. My hands went up my legs to my sides, brushing the edges of my breasts while I danced, and then I spun and my arms went around Ross's neck. I kept my head turned, watching Ranger, as I pretended to flirt with Ross.

The song came to an end, and I said, "I'm hot! Want to get out of here and go somewhere cooler and a lot less crowded?"

Ross moved his hands down to grab my ass, causing me to squeak, and laughed. "Sure, baby. Wanna go to my place?"

I nodded mutely and then realized the guys couldn't hear me, so I cleared my throat and said, "Absolutely, honey."

I turned toward the door and saw Ranger watching me. My tongue came out, blazing a trail around my lips and wetting them. I smiled quickly and then headed outside.

We were three feet out from the door when I saw movement from the corner of my eye, so I took a quick step away.

Suddenly, I heard Tank's voice. "Gary Ross, I'm a bond enforcement agent, and I'm here to take you back to jail. You missed your court date."

Tank's voice trailed off as Ranger suddenly put his arm around my waist and whisked me back to his car. He almost threw me up against the side of the car, his hands moving up to twist in my hair before he pulled my head back and bent to crush his lips to mine. I moaned loudly into his mouth, our tongues twisting around the other's. Neither of us let up until we heard Lester over our earpieces.

"Get a room, you two! Or better yet, meet us at Eternity."

My eyes flew open and my hands came up to Ranger's chest, pushing back gently. "God, Ranger! I can't think clearly around you."

He laughed and reached between us to turn off both our mics. "I know, Babe. I count on that." With a wink, he had the car door open and me inside before taking off around to his side.

~oOo~

As we drove, I decided to have a little fun. I leaned over just a bit and moved my hand to his thigh. I started rubbing gently back and forth, my nails running over the surface of his jeans softly, scratching just enough for him to feel the pressure. As my hand moved up, I could feel his muscles beginning to tighten. I kept the movement going, suddenly feeling the rigid hardness of his cock under my palm.

"Hmm, what do we have here?" I asked him quietly.

When he moaned and closed his eyes for a long blink, I figured I'd pushed my luck and started to withdraw my hand. He hissed under his breath and took my hand into his, moving it back onto his cock. He rubbed it back and forth a couple of times before removing his hand and letting me take back control.

"_Dios,_ Babe!" he said harshly.

After a few more strokes of my hand, he reached down quickly and pulled my hand away. "Any more and I'll have a mess in my pants," he said.

I grinned. "What's got you so worked up, Carlos?"

"Babe, do you have any idea what it does to me to watch you dancing and flirting with another man?" Ranger asked, an undercurrent of tension in his voice.

"Hmm, no, not really," I said. Shame on me. Of course I knew! I chuckled to myself.

"Just remember, paybacks are a bitch, Babe," Ranger said with a small grin.

I looked over, saw the sparkle in his eyes, and knew I could take whatever payback he deemed necessary. I decided to push a little more.

"Too bad I couldn't wear a bra with this dress. It's rubbing against my nipples and they're getting sooo sensitive!"

I almost laughed out loud when Ranger's hand shot up my arm and down into my dress, his fingers brushing over my nipple. When he squeezed it gently, all thoughts of laughing flew out of my head and I cried out. As his fingers kept flicking and squeezing my nipple, I move my hand to the other nipple and mimicked his movements.

Soon, his hand slid out of my dress and down, coming to the bottom hem. When he moved it up and cupped his palm against my hot center, I felt my breath catch. Soon, he moved one finger under the edge of my thong, feeling my drenched pussy. We both moaned together.

"Ranger, please!" I begged.

"What do you want, Babe? Tell me."

"I want you inside me," I cried out, trembling beneath his touch.

Instead of feeling him move farther in, his hand slipped out, and I opened my eyes wide to see him bring his fingers to his mouth to taste me.

I nearly whined my next question. "Why'd you stop?"

"We're here, Babe. Time for round two. But remember where we left off..."


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer still applies._

~oooOOOooo~

**Chapter 3: Eternity  
Stephanie's POV**

I sighed hard, exhaling. "Okay, let's go catch a bad guy...but dammit, you owe me!"

Ranger chuckled and reached over to turn on my mic. "Everyone here?"

A chorus of "Yes" was heard over the ear pieces.

Ranger said to me, "Okay, Babe, same type of thing here. No dancing this time, since it's a bar and not a club. Johnny likes to play pool. Think you can entice him out using that somehow?"

"She's Bombshell. Of course she can!" Lester said in my ear.

I laughed. "Thanks, Les. Of course I can!" I rolled my eyes at Ranger, whose grin melted away into a dark expression right before he reached over and pulled me to him, kissing me hard.

"Be good, Babe. Wait five minutes and then follow me in. We'll be there." With that, he was out of the car and headed into the bar.

~oOo~

Five minutes later, I'd rechecked the picture for John Smith, made sure my lips still looked kissable, and had gone over strategies in my head. I gave a finger wave to the guys outside and then headed into the bar.

I'd never been here, and from the name—Eternity—I was expecting something quite different. Something classy and dark. Instead, I walked in to find bright lights, loud music, and lots of loud talking. Since there wasn't any dancing, so I wasn't surprised to find the floor covered with tables and chairs.

When I looked into the back room, I noticed a group of three pool tables. They looked well used, with wood paneling on the outside and worn green cloth on top. The only other things in the back that I could see from the door was a jukebox blaring out the music and a row of cue sticks hanging on the wall—along with Les and Ranger playing pool at one of the tables.

I felt my heart speed up when Ranger looked up at me, eyes darkening as he took me in. I gave him a brief smile before searching out the skip. I noticed him at the bar, on the side nearest the pool room, and went to sit near him. I ordered a Corona with lime again and turned around to glance around the room. I sat there for a couple of minutes, trying to figure out how to make the first move, when I heard Cal's voice come over my ear piece.

"Hey, Bomber, I'm gonna head in and sit near you at the bar. When I get comfortable, ask me if I want to play some pool and follow my lead."

I had no idea what was up, so I made a noise that I hoped conveyed my acceptance and resumed looking around, my eyes falling on Ranger for a moment before moving over to the skip. I smiled at him shyly and turned away when I felt Cal sit down beside me.

I looked over and said, "Hi, big guy. Wanna play a game of pool?"

"Play with a woman? Hell no. Leave me alone," he growled in a low voice.

I was shocked, but quickly figured out he was giving the skip an excuse to come to my rescue. I decided to try to play it up, so I let my eyes fill with tears and squeaked out, "Fine! Be a sexist pig!" before I dumped my beer on his head and moved to sit down a seat away from John Smith.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him take in the exchange with Cal and then he motioned to the bartender to bring me a new beer.

"Thanks," I replied once I'd gotten it.

"No problem, sugar. He's lucky you didn't punch him. I woulda."

"Mmm, well, I'm a lover, not a fighter. Besides, I _really_ want to play some pool tonight, and if I'd hit him, I'd have gotten kicked out. What's the fun in that?" I asked.

"C'mon, sugar. Let's go play that game."

"Okay, but no peeking up my skirt when I bend over, mister!"

Oh my God! I had no idea where that came from, other than wanting to catch Ranger's attention.

Smith chuckled and pinched my ass as I walked by him. I had to hold myself back from turning around and kicking him in the nuts, but I figured that wouldn't help my job, so I just giggled instead.

I made eye contact with Les and Ranger as we walked into the pool room and then looked at Smith and smiled.

"Mind getting me a cue?" I asked him.

When he came back to the table, I took my cue, saw there was no chalk on our table, and turned around to ask Ranger about borrowing theirs.

"Hi! Mind if I borrow that?" I asked, motioning to the blue cube.

In the way only Ranger could, he shrugged, motioning to it with his head. I used it on my cue and then took it to John.

"Want me to rub your stick with this, too?" I asked him innocently, knowing how the RangeMan guys would react.

Thankfully, Ranger's blank face slammed into place, but Lester had much more of a problem and had to cover his laughter with a round of coughing. The hoots and hollers coming over my ear piece nearly made me laugh as well, so I knew I'd hit the mark with my comment.

John merely nodded, not quite sure how to react.

I took the end of his cue in my hand, used the other to chalk up the end, and then took the chalk back to Ranger. Instead of placing it on the table, I reached out like I was going to shake him hand. He had no choice but to reach out and take it.

I let my fingers travel over his palm while I glanced up at him from under my lashes and said, "Thank you." I gave him a quick grin, turned, and went back to my table.

By that time, John had the balls racked and was ready.

"Ladies first," he said.

I smiled as I turned around and bent over to break with the first shot. Just as I was ready to hit the cue ball, I felt him pinch my ass again. Red flashed across my eyes, but I quickly tamped it down and made the shot.

"Now, hon, if you keep that up, we'll never get out of here!"

He looked surprised and I saw a lecherous look come into his eyes that frightened me for a second. His voice was a low growl when he responded, "We wouldn't want that, would we?" Unlike Ranger's growly voice, this man's simply made me feel like I needed a shower.

For the next twenty minutes, we played the game. Finally, the perfect shot lined up for me. I made my way around to the other side of the table, and I knew when I bent over, my ass was right in line with Ranger's line of sight.

I bent over a little bit farther than I needed to and had to keep from grinning when I heard his voice speak very quietly in my ear.

"Babe," he said, "I can see your thong."

I knew he could, so I smiled to myself and gave a slight wiggle to my hips, like I was trying to get comfortable before making the shot.

After another ten minutes, Smith finally sank the eight ball and was declared the winner. I was just damn glad it was over, and when he asked if I wanted to go somewhere a little bit more private, I readily agreed. I wanted nothing more than to get out of there. Without a word, I left my beer on the bar as we passed and headed out the door.

Just like at Indigo, as soon as we got outside, Tank and Hal had Smith in handcuffs before I could blink. I felt Ranger come up behind me and pull me tight against him

"Babe," he growled—and again, it was completely unlike the skip's.

His hands skimmed up my sides, and as his left reached around front to flip off my mic, his right twisted in my hair, pulling my head back. He bent his head down, and suddenly, our lips, teeth, and tongues became one. He spun me around to face him, never breaking our kiss, and his other arm pulled me tight to him. When the laughter of the other guys reached our ears, Ranger let go of my hair, picked me up with both arms, and almost ran me to his car.

~oOo~

He didn't even put me in my side of the vehicle. He just raced around to the driver's seat and sat down, pulling me down on top of him between his solid chest and the steering wheel. He continued to kiss me while his hands moved down to my legs and traced them up and under my dress. He pulled back from my mouth, and I tilted my head, giving him access to my neck and shoulder. As his mouth descended there, licking, kissing, and nibbling, his thumbs found their way to my now dripping pussy.

I moaned as he rubbed my clit through my soaked panties. He continued to rub, getting faster and faster. When he bit down and began to suck on the spot where my neck and shoulder met, I tensed up and suddenly exploded, seeing white and then black dots shoot up behind my eyelids as I came. He slowed the movement of his thumbs and kissed the love bite on my neck while I tried to calm my body and heart rate down.

We sat there for a good five minutes while our pulses slowed. Our breathing was still coming at a faster than normal rhythm. I opened my mouth to speak, but was silenced quickly with Ranger's lips softly moving against my own. We kissed like that for several minutes before he released me, lifting me up and over to the passenger seat.

"Sorry, Babe."

I quickly looked to my left and asked, "Why? I'm not..."

"I was rough...didn't ask. I just took. You deserve better than that. I just..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I just couldn't help myself. You're just so damn sexy and irresistible."

I was unable—and unwilling—to stop myself as I reached over and grabbed his hair, pulling his head to meet mine in the middle. I crushed my lips to his and kissed him hard until we were pulling back, panting for air.

"I'm not sorry. God, Ranger! Why do you think I've been working extra hard to tease you tonight? I wanted this—you—as much as you did!"

We sat there for several minutes before he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. He reached over and took my hand, rubbing small circles with his thumb, but didn't say anything else on the drive to the final club.

~oOo~

Ranger was quiet until we pulled into the parking lot of our final distraction, Leather and Lace. I laughed at the name until I remembered why we were here. Ranger came around and opened the door for me, pulling me up into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his waist and felt his lips caressing my temple, moving into my hair.

"You okay to do this, Babe? We don't have to. Like I said earlier, we can figure out another way."

"I'm okay, Carlos. I trust you with every part of me." I felt him jerk slightly at my use of his name, but then he tightened his arms around me and finally relaxed.

Ranger reached down between us, flicked on our mics, and said to me, "Okay, the guys will all be out here, aside from Lester, who'll be inside, holding a booth for us. Everyone ready?"

We heard the guys all say yes, and I voiced my okay so everyone knew I was live, and then we turned and headed to the door. As soon as it opened, I could hear the sensual Latin music coming from inside. I grinned, knowing that this one, as dangerous as the skip was, was going to be fun. I moaned quietly as my thoughts caused another flush of wetness in my still tingling pussy.

Ranger looked down at me and said in an almost naughty tone, "Babe..."

I smiled up at him sexily and walked through the door first, leaving him standing in the doorway, watching the extra sway to my hips.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer still applies._

~oooOOOooo~

**Chapter 4: Leather and Lace  
Stephanie's POV**

As soon as we got in the door, Ranger snaked an arm around my waist, pulling me tight to his side. He led me toward the dance floor and leaned down to my ear. Speaking louder than a whisper so he could be heard over the music, he said right into my ear, "Anytime you want to get out of here, let me know. I won't take this further than you're willing to go."

I turned my head, twisting my hands into his hair, and as our bodies started to sway to the music, I crushed his lips to mine in answer.

We heard Lester in our ear pieces saying, "Nice, Beautiful. You guys are easily the hottest couple out there and your little show already has his attention."

I ignored him for now, pressing myself tightly against Ranger as my tongue did battle with his.

We'd been dancing for several minutes when a disgusted growl from Lester came across our ear pieces. We kept moving, even after hearing his voice say, "Steph's favorite person in the world, Joyce Bernhardt, just walked in with a date. They're already all over each other. You guys may have competition tonight."

Ranger pulled me even tighter against him and murmured, "Joyce is never any competition. We'll just have to have more fun." Then, with a wink at me, he slid a leg between mine, moving me to the beat of the song with his body.

He dipped me back, holding my lower back with one hand while the other moved up my side to my arms and into my hair to pull me gently back upright.

My hands moved to bury themselves in his hair, which he'd let loose before coming into this last club. I pulled his head to mine, our lips meeting and our tongues moving with the music.

After dancing close for two more songs, I was breathless and thirsty. Ranger led me off the dance floor to the bar, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see the skip looking back and forth between us and Joyce on the dance floor. We ordered our drinks, and I decided we needed to put on a show while we waited.

I wrapped my arms around Ranger's waist, pulled myself as close as possible, and then stretched up to nuzzle his neck with my lips. My teeth bit down on his neck, and my tongue followed, soothing the spot to take away the sting.

Ranger moaned into my ear softly. I moved my mouth up his neck, biting gently until I reached his lips. Our tongues tangled together until a throat cleared from behind the bar, and then we pulled apart reluctantly.

We stood there enjoying our drinks while we watched Joyce and her date dancing. It looked like they were having sex on the dance floor, and our skip couldn't take his eyes off them.

"Carlos," I said softly, feeling him still as I said his name, "we need to figure out a way to get his attention. I have an idea. Trust me?"

"You know I do, Babe."

I set our drinks on the bar, making a motion that we were finished with them. Then I took Ranger's hand and led him back toward the bathroom. He didn't question me; he just followed my lead.

We got outside the ladies room and I quietly said, "Wait here for me." I gave him a wink before turning away.

Ranger nodded silently, a question and a spark of interest in his dark eyes as I made my way into the ladies' room.

~oOo~

I stepped into the bathroom and took a deep breath. I was crossing my fingers that my plan would work and wouldn't be too much for Ranger. Closing my eyes for a second, I gathered my strength, slipped my fingers under my dress, and hooked them into the edges of my thong. I quickly peeled it down my legs and stepped out. Smoothing out my dress, I balled my panties up in my hand and stepped back out into the hall with Ranger.

"Everything okay, Babe?" he asked so quietly that no one but myself and the rest of the team could hear.

"I'm good, thanks. Can you do me a favor? I don't have anywhere to put these, so can you put them in your pocket until later, please?" I felt a moment of apprehension as to how he would react when I handed him my panties.

When they made their way into his hand, his eyebrow shot up and his eyes went dark. "Babe," he moaned as he slipped the thong into his pocket. "Let's go dance, Stephanie. I want to feel you up against me."

We made our way back into the main room, being sure to pass right by our skip. As we passed, Ranger's hand moved down to cup my ass, squeezing it as he looked at the skip and gave a playful leer, as if he was telling him, _Look how fucking hot my woman is!_

We made our way onto the dance floor and began moving to the beat of the music. Thank God for my mother and dance lessons as a kid, because it allowed me to keep up with Ranger, who was a natural. We danced the Salsa, the sexy Lambada, and finally, I just shut off my mind and let Ranger take over the lead. I let him guide my body, not paying much attention to anything other than just the feel of his body close to mine.

I was lost in the music and Ranger when I heard Aventura's "Un Beso" come on and Ranger pulled me close to dance the Bachata. His leg slipped between mine, and we basically became one being, my center pressed tightly to his thigh.

The movement of Ranger's thigh on my pussy was causing heat to pool in my belly, and I moaned into his neck. He suddenly spun me out and back into him, nearly causing my dress to ride up too high and expose my nakedness to the room. I looked into his eyes and saw they were the deepest black I'd ever seen.

Lester's voice came over the ear pieces. "Beautiful, you are a force to be reckoned with. The skip hasn't looked at Joyce once since you got back in here."

"Shut up, Santos," Ranger growled before sneakily pulling our earpieces out and putting them in his other pocket. Now, it was just the two of us in our own little world.

The music washed over us, taking over our thoughts and minds and leaving it just us, the music and lyrics, and our bodies.

We continued to dance, my arms moving around Ranger's waist and his loosely around my shoulders as I fell back and swung around, my legs molded to his, pressed tightly against his thigh. He pulled me back up and, fisting his hands in my hair, crushed my lips to his, our mouths as tightly together as my wet center was to his thigh. The music began to slow and we pulled away reluctantly.

"Let's grab a booth, Carlos," I said, my voice shaking slightly.

~oOo~

We made our way over to the booths. Lester stood quickly and headed to the bar, leaving the one he'd been keeping saved for us open. Ranger slid in and pulled me down beside him. We could see our skip out at a table watching us, and Ranger pulled me tight to him, kissing me. Within a couple of minutes, a waitress was putting down a fresh drink in front of each of us. We broke off our kiss, looking at her with a silent question.

"Compliments of the man at the table over there," she said, pointing to our skip.

Ranger picked up his Corona and tilted it at the man in a silent thanks. I smiled shyly at him before turning my face back to Ranger.

His eyes went dark again and he whispered to me, "Trust _me_ now, _querida_?"

I nodded and he suddenly gripped my waist and pulled me onto his lap, facing away from him. His lips came down on my nearly bare shoulder, and I shivered, bracing myself against the edge of the table with my hands.

Ranger began kissing my shoulder, moving up my neck, where he scraped his teeth lightly before moving up to my ear. His tongue flicked in once before he took the earlobe into his mouth and sucked gently. I felt his legs moving, easing my legs and thighs apart. His hands moved down to my thighs, and I felt them slide up to the bottom of my dress.

All at once, his hands slipped under my skirt. One hand braced on my upper thigh while the other moved to my pussy. I was dripping wet and nearly beside myself. I couldn't hold back the moan as his finger began sliding back and forth over my throbbing slit.

"_Dios,_ Babe," Ranger growled out. "You're so wet."

My head fell back against his shoulder and my eyes closed in ecstasy as his finger brushed up against my clit once and then moved back down. I felt him slide one finger inside me, and I was unable to hold back my whimper. As his thumb moved to my clit, he stroked it twice, and I came apart in his arms. White hot explosions went off behind my closed lids, and he slowed down the stroking of his finger until I could breathe again.

Suddenly, he thrust a second finger into my dripping pussy, and then a third, and began to pump in and out, hard and fast, as his mouth found my neck once again. He moved faster and faster, keeping time with the heavy, thumping beat of the music coming from the dance floor. I moaned loudly.

"Ranger, fuck, I'm going to come again!" I cried as quietly as I could, breathing hard.

He started moving his thumb feverishly over my clit, and just when I thought I couldn't take any more, his teeth found the juncture of my neck and shoulder. He bit down hard enough to be a mix of pain and pleasure. It sent me over the edge once more, and I gasped out loud, my cry so loud that it seemed like the whole club would hear us.

Ranger whispered something Spanish into my ear that I didn't understand, but it affected me nonetheless, and I felt my insides clench as I shivered.

~oOo~

Once my body had calmed down and Ranger had moved his hand from my pussy, he casually took our ear pieces out of his pocket. Pretending to nuzzle my neck, he slipped mine in before inserting the other into his own.

"What's the latest on the skip, Santos?" he asked, speaking into my neck so the skip couldn't read his lips.

"Uh, yeah. Boss, he'd follow you anywhere right now," Lester said after clearing his throat. "I think all of us would."

"Ready to go, Babe?" Ranger asked me quietly.

I nodded before slipping off his lap and carefully smoothing down my skirt. I looked around and saw the skip watching. I gave him a quick smile and turned back to Ranger. He put an arm around my waist, pulling me close, and then started leading us to the door.

"Skip is up and following, Boss," we heard Lester say.

As we got to the door, Ranger held it open and pushed me out ahead of him. We were walking out toward the car when we heard a small scuffle behind us.

"Ben Nichols, we're bond enforcement agents, and you need to come with us back to lockup," Tank said forcefully.

We turned enough to watch the guys place cuffs on a suddenly furious Nichols.

"We got this guy, Boss. You guys take off," Lester said. "Oh, and thanks for the show!"

"Santos, you, me, and the mat tomorrow," Ranger growled, rattling off a time as he pulled me toward the car.

We heard Lester laughing as we switched off our mics and took out the ear pieces. Ranger deposited me in the passenger side of the car before heading around to the driver's side.

"Babe, trust me for a while longer?"

"Always, Carlos," I whispered.

"_Dios!_" Ranger growled before pulling me hard to him, capturing my lips and tongue with his.

He sat me back against the seat and pulled out his cell phone. He began speaking quietly in Spanish, using a calm, friendly voice. When I heard her voice echo over the speaker, I knew he was talking with Ella. I heard him mention my name and looked at him curiously. He thanked her and hung up. When he saw me looking, Ranger just smiled, took my hand, and drove away from the club.

I closed my eyes, running back through in my mind what had happened a few minutes before. I let myself drift until I felt us slowing, and when I opened my eyes, I realized we were at RangeMan. I started to move to open my door, but Ranger just pulled me back.

"Wait here, Babe. I'll be right back."

I nodded, watching him get out and head toward the elevator. Before he could reach it, Junior stepped out, handing him a small bag and a basket. I saw Junior look at me and then blush as he turned away to walk back to the elevator, and I knew he was thinking about what he had heard over our mics earlier.

I felt my face flush as Ranger made his way back to the car, opening the back door to place the items inside before getting back into the driver's seat. He took my hand again without saying a word and drove out of the garage, heading away from RangeMan.

We drove until we were just past the edge of Trenton. It was a comfortable silence, and I let myself relax, trusting in Ranger enough not to worry about where we were going. I was so lost in my thoughts and memories of tonight that I didn't pay any attention until we turned into a driveway.

I couldn't see a house, but we stopped at a big gate. Ranger rolled his window down, pressed his thumb up to a thumb reader, and then entered in a code. The gate rolled back, letting us scoot in before it closed. My stomach began jumping, the butterflies from earlier in the night having returned full-force. We drove for over a hundred yards and around a clump of trees, where we suddenly came upon the most beautiful house I'd ever seen.

"Ranger, where are we?" I squeaked.

"Welcome to the Batcave, Babe." Ranger smiled softly. "Welcome home."


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer still applies. Warning for lemony goodness._

~oooOOOooo~

**Chapter 5: Back to the Batcave  
Stephanie's POV**

I felt my jaw drop and my chin hit my chest. "What? Where?" I sputtered. "Why?"

"Let's go inside, Babe. We need to talk."

I shook my head quickly. "Ranger, don't say that. That's never good. Please." _Please don't hurt me again. I couldn't bear it this time_...

"Babe. Don't, please don't. I'm not going to hurt you—ever again."

I blushed, turning my face away. I really needed to learn how not to speak all my thoughts out loud. Ranger stopped the car and was out in a flash, around to my door. He opened it and pulled me to him. When he forced my chin up with his finger, I closed my eyes so he wouldn't see the hurt.

"Don't hide your beautiful eyes from me, Babe. Please."

At that word, my eyes popped open, and I sighed at how wonderful he looked and felt being so close to me. The gorgeous chocolate brown eyes, the mocha skin, the warm breath near my cheek.

"Come with me, Babe. Please."

I let him take my hand in his and we walked around to the other side of the car. He grabbed the bag and basket he'd put into the back seat and then led me up the front steps to the huge wraparound porch. Once at the door, he told me to put my thumb on the scanner.

I was shocked when the speaker said, "Good evening, Stephanie."

He laughed at my surprise and said, "Do you remember the day we met, Babe?" At my nod, he continued, "Year, month, and then day."

I looked up into his eyes and then brought my fingers up to the keypad and entered the eight digit number. I was only mildly surprised when I heard the door click open. I just looked up questioningly at him.

Ranger smiled softly at me, his eyes lighting up, and I saw a whole handful of emotions run across his face: happiness, excitement, most definitely lust, and a few others. The two I saw most prominently really surprised me. Ranger was scared. Deeply scared. The last was—dare I hope?—love. He pulled me with him and we entered a huge living room. Even in the dark, I saw the outline of two overstuffed couches, several chairs, a very large flat-screen TV on the wall above a fireplace, and the floor-to-ceiling windows. He never once let go of my hand.

He turned on the lights, put the stuff down by the couch, and sat down, trying to pull me down beside him.

I dug my heels in, resisting. "Ranger, I want you. I've needed you inside me now for hours. Please, just take me to bed!"

His eyes darkened to almost black, but then he shook his head and pulled harder. Finally, I relaxed enough to sit down on his lap. He turned me sideways so he could see my face and then loosely wrapped his arms around me.

"Stephanie, please, just listen. I plan on taking you to bed tonight, but there's something I want to make clear first, so you know it's coming from the right place and not just because I have you in bed. Do you understand? Promise to sit and listen?"

I nodded quietly, too scared to do anything else.

"It's been four and a half months since you and Morelli called it quits. I know I told you that if he left you alone again, I'd be back in your bed, but Steph, that isn't what I want."

I tried to jump off his lap, tears already pooling in my eyes.

"Wait, Stephanie, I phrased that wrong. Please, just give me a minute."

I heard him take a deep breath as I settled back down. He gave me a small squeeze with his arms before continuing.

"I... I'm not good with expressing my emotions." I know my lust showed in my eyes, because he laughed. "That's different, Babe. You've known for years that I want your body. What I'm trying to say now is..." His voice trailed off.

"Ranger, please. I can't take this. Just tell me," I whispered.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking the last few weeks. I talked to Tank, I talked to my mom. Hell, I even talked to Lester. They all gave me some good advice. _A wise man does not need advice, and a fool won't take it._ I may not be a wise man, especially when it comes to you, but I'm certainly not a fool. They all told me basically the same thing: unless I wanted to lose you permanently, I needed to get past my fears. The fear I have of letting you down. The fear of completely letting you into my heart. The fear of letting one woman—even the most incredible, beautiful, amazing, strong, fearless woman I've ever met—into the deepest part of me.

"Once I realized that, it was easy. It was easy for me to realize that nothing in this world except Julie—not work, not my friends or my family...nothing. Nothing would matter if I didn't have you with me. I'm not saying I'm ready for marriage. I don't know if I'll ever be ready for marriage or more kids. But Stephanie Michelle Plum, I'm ready for you. I'm ready to give you everything I have inside me, from my thoughts and fears, to my hopes and dreams, to every bit of love I have for you. I love you, Stephanie. No 'in my own way.' No conditions. Just from the bottom of my heart, I love—"

Ranger hadn't even gotten the rest of it out before I flung myself up onto his chest and crushed my lips against his. The tears began to pour from my eyes as I kissed him with more feeling than I'd ever felt before. When I couldn't breathe any longer, I pulled away, gasping.

I finally caught my breath, looked into his stunned face, and whispered, "I love you, too, Carlos. I have from the moment I met you and I will until the moment I die. I'll love you even after death because I know no matter what, we'll always be together."

The smile on Ranger's face could have lit up the entire house. "_Mi dulce amor, mi vida, Stephanie, usted tiene mi corazón. No quiero que se aparte de ti nunca más._"

I looked up at him, silently asking him for a translation.

"It means my sweet love, my life, Stephanie, you have my heart. I never want to be apart from you ever again."

"Carlos," I whispered, my eyes filling up with good tears this time. "Take me to bed. Love me."

"With pleasure, Babe."

He lifted me into his arms and stood, kissing my neck as he walked out of the living room and down a long hall. Opened up a door at the end of the hall, he flipped on the light. I didn't notice much about the room, but the thing that stood out was the huge king-sized bed on the wall opposite the windows. It was covered in a deep purple and green comforter and looked to be the softest bed I'd ever seen.

Ranger closed the door and then turned a switch that caused the lights to dim. He walked over to the bed and then set me on my feet. "_Dios,_ Babe. Do you know how much I wanted you tonight? How much I still want you?" At my nod, he continued. "You look stunning in that dress. I knew you would. The dress was pretty, but you fill it in beautifully."

He dipped his head to kiss me, his hands moving up my arms until he got to my shoulders. When he took his lips away from mine, I cried out, but my cries turned to a gasp as he trailed his lips down my cheek to my neck.

Ranger continued kissing his way to my shoulder. As he moved his hands down to the hem of my dress, he whispered, "Babe, you flirted and teased me all night. I was hard the minute I saw you tonight at the apartment. I tried everything I could think of to calm myself down, but nothing was working. I saw you flirt with me, even as you were working the skips, and by the time we hit Leather and Lace tonight, I was nearly out of my mind with need."

He pulled my dress over my head, and I stood there in nothing but my shoes. I blushed when he finally looked away from my face and his eyes blazed a trail over my entire body.

"You were so fucking hot tonight at the club. I was probably stupid in how I did the job. No, in fact, I _know_ I was stupid. I let my emotions get the better of me. But fuck... You blew my mind, Babe! When you came out of the bathroom and handed me your panties, I nearly came in my jeans. To know you were feeling that way right then for me nearly blew my mind. Then came the dancing. You're amazing on the dance floor. Having you soaking wet and uncovered, pressed right against my thigh, nearly put me over the edge again. It was all I could do not to just run out of there with you over my shoulder. Finally, to have you on my lap, coming over my fingers—in public, for fuck's sake—it was like one of my biggest fantasies come true."

I interrupted then, kicking off both my shoes, and said the only few words I could think of.

"Carlos, I love you, but please, shut up and fuck me now!"

My eyes must have shown how much I wanted that, because when he looked down at my face, he picked me up and tossed me gently onto the bed. He quickly shed his clothes, throwing himself down at me.

Without a word, he crushed his lips to mine and thrust a finger deep inside me. I cried out into his mouth, giving his tongue free access to mine. His other hand came up and pinched my nipple between his fingers. I moaned when I felt him add another finger to the one already inside me, thrusting them in and out harder. When he added a third, I felt so incredibly full. He moved his lips to my nipple, licking and then biting down. It was hard enough to be right on the edge of pain and pleasure without breaking the skin, and then he licked some more to remove the sting of the bite.

He must have decided that we'd had enough foreplay, because he suddenly pulled his fingers out of me, moved down between my legs, pulled my right leg up on his shoulder, and thrust his hard cock into me. The feeling of him sliding into me was heaven. All my nerve endings came alive, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I felt like my entire body was electrified. We continued to move like that, with his cock sliding in and out smoothly, slowly, for several minutes, our cries echoing together. He released my leg, letting it drop to the mattress. Finally, I brought them both up and wrapped them around his waist.

Ranger rode me hard then, with quick, forceful strokes, his hips moving fast and his cock thrusting deep inside me nearly sending me over the edge. With each thrust, I felt him go deeper and deeper inside me. When his fingers found my nipple and pinched, I cried out with an orgasm so intense, I nearly passed out. His movements slowed for a moment until my breathing calmed somewhat, and then suddenly, he flipped us over, never once coming fully out of my pussy.

I sat astride him, feeling his hands cupping my small breasts, pinching the nipples with his fingers. I could feel another orgasm rising up inside me. I put an arm behind my back and found his balls with my hand. I massaged them slowly, getting more and more forceful with each thrust of his cock inside me.

"I'm gonna come again, C-Carlos! With me, please," I moaned loudly.

Ranger brought a hand up between us and used his thumb and finger on my clit. He pinched and twisted as I rolled his balls in my palm, and suddenly, we were flying over the cliff together. My pussy clenched him tight, and I felt his balls tighten up and the warm gush of his come as he orgasmed along with me. I could barely move, just enough to release him and move to lie on his chest.

We stayed like that for a few minutes until I shifted off him, our bodies coming apart with an almost audible sigh. Then I moved down beside him, and using his shoulder as a pillow, I faced him and whispered, "I love you, Carlos."

I was almost asleep when I heard him say something in Spanish, before adding in English, "I love you too, Babe." This his breathing slowed, soothing me to sleep.

~oOo~

The next morning, I awoke alone in the huge bed. I looked around and my eyes fell on the clock. I hated waking up early, and it was only eight. I sighed, wishing I could go back to sleep, but I knew I had more important things to do and think about, so I climbed out of bed to see a note on the bedside table.

~oOo~

_Mi querida (My sweetheart),_

_There's a robe for you on the closet door._

_Yell for me and I'll be right there with coffee and breakfast._

_Love,  
Carlos_

~oOo~

So last night hadn't been a dream. I smiled, grabbed the plush robe from the closet door, called out, "Carlos, I'm awake!" and turned to admire the room.

I hadn't had the time or inclination to look around last night. It was the most magnificent bedroom I'd ever seen. It was huge, with vaulted ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows on one wall, a fireplace against another wall, and very little in the way of furnishings.

I walked slowly over to the fireplace and looked up on the mantel. The first, and biggest, picture I saw was of Ranger and me outside the bonds office. He was leaning back against his truck, I had my arms wrapped around his waist, and his arms were around my shoulders. I was pressed tight against him, looking up into his eyes as he looked down into mine. We looked so happy and, even then, so much in love that it made my heart flutter.

The zing in the room told me Ranger had come in. He set my coffee and a bag down on the nightstand and then came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. I was still looking up at the pictures. He must have noticed my curiosity. Just to the left of our picture was a slightly smaller picture of Julie, obviously taken fairly recently, as she looked more grown up than when I'd last seen her during the Scrog fiasco.

I smiled at her picture and turned my head to ask, "How is she? Are the nightmares better?"

He nodded, smiling down at me. "The therapist helped. She sees her once every two weeks still, just to have someone not directly involved to talk to. Her grades are better, and she's sleeping and eating normally now. Her friendships are back to normal. It's been good. She misses you, though. Wants you to start emailing her."

I nodded, confirming that I would. "Tell me about the rest, please?"

Ranger pointed at the end. "The first picture is my mom and dad. Maria and Ricardo Manoso. That was taken at their fortieth wedding anniversary last year."

"Wow, that's great," I marveled, smiling.

"Next to them is my older brother, Marcus, who's four years older than I am, his wife, Marisa, and their two boys, Alexander and Ernesto. The boys are seven and five. This was taken this past Christmas, and Marc told me it was hell trying to get the boys to sit still for the picture." Ranger laughed, and the sight of his relaxed tone and posture made me smile in response.

"The next is my sister, Yelina, and her twin girls, Estelle and Adriana. The girls are four, and Yelina is thirty-three, only two years older than I am." Ranger's mood changed for a moment, sobering almost instantly. "Yelina's husband, Paul, died just a few months before this picture was taken. Drunk driver ran a red light and hit him as he was coming home from work at the hospital one night. That was nearly a year ago."

When his arms tightened around me, I leaned back to give him every bit of comfort I could without words. He shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, I could see that he was much more relaxed.

Pointing to the last picture, he said, "This is my younger brother, Angelo, and his wife, Isabel. They're both only twenty-eight, and Isabel is pregnant with their first child, a boy. She's due in a few months, and they've named the baby Nicolas Xaviar. My mom and dad can't wait. They love having babies around the house."

I smiled at the look on his face. I could tell he loved being Uncle Carlos just as much as his parents loved being grandparents.

"I bought this house a year ago. I don't spend a lot of time here yet, but I'm hoping you'll help furnish this room as well as the others. I want to be able to live here sometimes, but I don't want to do that unless you're with me."

"I'll be with you until the end of time, Carlos. I don't want to be anywhere else," I said softly, smiling up at him.

He leaned down to kiss me and said, "Good. Because like I told you, the Batcave is forever."

I smiled tenderly and echoed, "Forever."

**The End**


	6. Chapter 4 in Ranger's POV

_Disclaimer still applies._

~oooOOOooo~

**Chapter 4 from Ranger's POV**

_Mi Dios,_ I thought as I pulled open the door to the club. Steph truly had no idea what effect she was having on me tonight. Her constant teasing had left me with a permanent hard on all night. She looked even more stunning tonight than she normally did. I could barely think straight right now, and it was all I could do not to grab her, throw her down on the table in front of us, and slam hard into her from behind.

I slid my arm around her, pulling her tight against me, and we headed to the dance floor. I leaned down to give her a nearly silent reminder of leaving whenever it got to be too much for her.

Her response was just to turn her head and, with her hands twisted into my hair, start to move against me to the music. I leaned down enough that our lips met in a fierce battle, along with our dancing tongues.

When Santos spoke, we ignored him, continuing to dance and kiss. I needed to block out the team as best I could. Thankfully, with Steph as my partner, that wasn't hard at all.

Steph and I had been dancing for a while when Santos interrupted us again, sounding disgusted. After hearing his news, I grumbled to myself.

_Fuck_, just what we needed.

Several scenarios ran through my head, even as Stephanie's tongue in my mouth threatened to take over every thought process. _Should I give the order to have one of the guys come and extract Joyce?_ No, too much of a public scene. Didn't want to give Nichols the chance to bolt. I could always have Tank call... The rest of my thought was lost as Steph's body tensed slightly, and I opened my eyes to see hers open and filled with worry.

I pulled her even tighter to me. After assuring her that Joyce was no competition, I gave her a wink and slid my leg between hers, letting the beat take over once more.

When I dipped her back and then gently pulled her back upright, Steph's hands came back up to tangle in my hair and she pulled my head down to meet hers in another passionate kiss.

I continued to press our bodies tightly together as we danced. The Latin music flowed naturally through my body. I'd been dancing this way for twenty years, but I was floored by how easily it was coming for Steph.

Several songs later, I noticed she was looking tired, so I led her off the dance floor to the bar.

When we got situated, I kept an eye on Nichols. He was glancing between us and Joyce, who was still out on the floor with her date.

Suddenly, Steph wrapped her arms around my waist and plastered herself against me.

I felt her nuzzle my neck with her soft lips, and I nearly moaned. When her teeth bit down, she followed it by laving the spot with her tongue to take away the sting. The moan slipped out between my lips then. Her lips traced a path up my neck, biting gently, until she reached my lips. We kissed hard, our tongues dancing, until the bartender cleared his throat, letting us know our drinks were there.

We sipped them while we watched Joyce's show on the dance floor. It looked like they were practically having sex standing up in the middle of the crowd. Shit... That son of a bitch couldn't take his eyes off them.

When Steph spoke my name, I stilled, my dick getting impossibly harder at the sound of it coming from her lips.

"We need to figure out a way to get his attention. I have an idea. Trust me?"

"You know I do, Babe."

Steph set our drinks on the bar and then took my hand and led me back toward the bathroom. I didn't question her as I followed her lead.

I waited silently in the hall while she was in the restroom. I had no idea what she was doing. Maybe she was going to mess her hair to make it look "just fucked."

~oOo~

Suddenly, the door opened and Steph stepped back out into the hall.

"Everything okay, Babe?" I asked quietly.

She tensed as she asked me to put something in my pocket, and until I felt her put the item in my hand, I couldn't figure out what could be wrong.

When I saw her panties in my hand, my eyebrows shot up. "Babe," I moaned as I slipped the thong into my pocket. "Let's go dance. I want to feel you up against me."

We made our way back into the main room, making sure to pass right by Nichols. As we passed, my hand moved down to cup Steph's ass, squeezing it as I looked at the man we were setting up. I leered at him, swallowing hard so he wouldn't see my disgust as he looked at Stephanie's ass.

When we got to the dance floor, we began to dance. Once again, I was amazed at how graceful and beautiful Steph looked out here with me. She followed along with every dance that came up. The Salsa, with our hips swaying to the beat as I turned her and spun her around quickly. The Lambada, with my leg between Steph's thigh, moving quickly to the beat. All thought left my head and we were just following along with the music.

Then, Aventura's "Un Beso" came on. It was one of my favorite songs in the world to dance to. I pulled Steph closer to me, sliding into the Bachata dance. My leg again slipped tight between her thighs, and we became one from the waist down. I growled quietly and nearly came in my pants when I realized her uncovered pussy was tight against my leg.

Steph moaned as my thigh caressed her, and I spun her out and back into me, her dress barely managing to keep her covered.

Lester interrupted our thoughts again and I decided I'd had enough.

"Shut up, Santos," I growled before stealthily pulling our earpieces out and putting them in my other pocket. Now, it was just Steph and me in our own little world.

As we danced, Steph moved her arms around my waist and I moved mine loosely to her shoulders. She fell back and swung around, her hair flying out around her, her legs molded to mine, and her pussy pressed tight against my thigh. I'd never seen her look more sexy and desirable. I pulled her back up and fisted my hands in her hair. My lips crushed against hers, our lips as tightly together as her wet heat was to my thigh. As the music slowed, we began to pull away reluctantly.

"Let's grab a booth, Carlos," Stephanie said, her voice shaking slightly.

I led Steph over to the booth where Lester sat nursing a beer. He quickly stood up and made his way over to the bar, so I slid in and pulled Steph down to sit beside me. We had the perfect view of Nichols, but all rational thought left my mind, and I pulled Steph tight to me and kissed her hard. After several minutes, the waitress put a fresh margarita and Corona down in front of us.

"Compliments of the man at the table over there," she said, pointing to our skip.

I picked up my Corona and tilted it at the man in a silent thanks. Steph smiled shyly at him before turning her face back to me.

I whispered to her, "Trust _me_ now, _querida_?"

At her nod, I gripped her waist and pulled her onto my lap, facing away from me. My lips came down onto her nearly bare shoulder, and she shivered, bracing herself against the edge of the table with her hands.

My lips were busy moving over her shoulder, her neck—where I scraped my teeth lightly—and then up to her ear. She shivered as my tongue flicked in once before I sucked the earlobe gently into my mouth. I moved my legs between hers and eased her legs and thighs apart. Then I moved my hands down to her thighs and slid them down to the bottom of her dress.

Quickly, my hands slipped under her skirt. I kept one hand braced on her upper thigh, while the other hand moved to her pussy. She was dripping wet and nearly beside herself. She couldn't hold back the moan as my finger began sliding back and forth over her throbbing slit.

"_Dios,_ Babe," I growled out. "You're so wet."

Her head fell back against my shoulder and her eyes closed in ecstasy as my finger brushed up against her clit once and then back down. I slid one finger inside her and she whimpered. As my thumb moved to her clit, I stroked it twice and she came apart in my arms. I felt her clench around my finger, so I slowed down my stroking until she could breathe again.

Without warning, I thrust a second finger into her dripping pussy, and then a third, and began to pump in and out, hard and fast, as my mouth found her neck once again. I moved faster and faster, keeping time with the heavy, thumping beat of the music coming from the dance floor.

Steph moaned loudly. "Ranger, fuck, I'm going to come again!" she said, breathing hard.

I started moving my thumb feverishly over her clit, and when I thought she couldn't take any more, my teeth found the juncture of her neck and shoulder. I bit down, just shy of too hard. It sent her over the edge once more, and she gasped loudly.

"_Eso es todo, vamos para mí el Babe. Mi dios, que son realmente increíbles,_" I whispered into her ear, soft enough that only she could hear.

~oOo~

Once her body had calmed down and we'd rearranged ourselves, I took our ear pieces out of my pocket. Nuzzling her neck, I carefully slipped Steph's into her ear before inserting the other into my own.

"What's the latest on the skip, Santos?" I asked into Steph's neck.

"Uh, yeah. Boss, he'd follow you anywhere right now," Lester said after clearing his throat. He mumbled something else, but my mind was already back on Stephanie.

"Ready to go, Babe?" I asked Steph quietly.

She nodded before slipping off my lap and carefully smoothing down her skirt. She looked around, saw the skip watching, and gave him a quick smile before turning back to me. I put an arm around her waist, pulling her close, and started toward the door.

"Skip is up and following, Boss," we heard Lester say.

As we got to the door, I held it open and pushed Steph out ahead of me. We were walking out toward the car when we heard a small scuffle behind us.

Tank said the spiel about going back to lockup, and the suddenly furious Nichols was slapped into cuffs.

"We got this guy, Boss. You guys take off," Santos said. "Oh, and thanks for the show!"

I growled for the ass to meet me on the mat the next morning and pulled Steph toward the car.

Lester laughed as we switched off our mics and took out the ear pieces. I deposited her in the passenger side of the car before heading around to the driver's side.

"Babe, trust me for a while longer?"

"Always, Carlos," she whispered.

"_Dios!_" I growled again before pulling her hard to me, capturing her lips and tongue with mine. She had no idea how it turned me on to hear her say my name.

I sat Steph back against the seat, pulled out my cell phone, and dialed Ella's number.

"_Hola, Ranger,_" Ella answered.

"_Hola, Ella. Quiero aprovechar Stephanie lejos por la noche. __¿Podría usted por favor hacer rápidamente algo de bocados y el paquete de Steph una bolsa. Sólo un cambio de ropa, un par de zapatos y el maquillaje. __Ah, y un palo en la Remera de la mina para que ella dormir adentro Estaremos allí en quince minutos._"

For the plans I had come up with, I needed Ella's help to make Stephanie comfortable.

I hung up the phone and looked over at Steph. Her eyes were full of questions. I just smiled, took her hand, and drove away from the club.

Steph closed her eyes, not opening them until she felt us slowing. When she looked around, I could tell she realized we were at RangeMan. She started to move to open her door, but I just pulled her back.

"Wait here, Babe. I'll be right back."

She nodded, and I saw her close her eyes before I got out of the car.

Before I could reach the elevator, Junior stepped out, handing me a small bag and a basket. I saw him look at Steph in the car and then blush as he turned away. I knew he was thinking about what he'd heard over our mics while at the club. Instead of feeling embarrassed, I almost felt pride because of how Stephanie had reacted to my hands. Of course, the option to ship to a third world country was there for anyone with a smart remark when we got back tomorrow if they embarrassed her. My lack of embarrassment, I could deal with, but hers was a whole different matter.

I made my way back to the car, opening the back door to place the items into the back seat, and then got back in the driver's seat. I took her hand again without saying a word and drove out of the garage, heading away from RangeMan.

I was nervous, but fairly relaxed as we drove. We were going just past the edge of Trenton. It was a comfortable silence, and I finally just let myself relax. I didn't pay much attention until I'd turned into the driveway.

You couldn't see the house from where I stopped at the big gate. I rolled my window down, pressed my thumb up to a thumb reader, and then entered in the security code. The gate rolled back, letting me drive through. I could see Steph starting to tense up, and I knew from her expression that she was worried about where we were. We drove for over a hundred yards and around a clump of trees, where we suddenly came up on one of my favorite spots in the world.

"Ranger, where are we?" Stephanie squeaked.

"Welcome to the Batcave, Babe." I smiled softly. "Welcome home."

~oooOOOooo~

_Translations:_

_Hola, Ella. Quiero aprovechar Stephanie lejos por la noche. ¿Podría usted por favor hacer rápidamente algo de bocados y el paquete de Steph una bolsa. Sólo un cambio de ropa, un par de zapatos y el maquillaje. Ah, y un palo en la Remera de la mina para que ella dormir adentro Estaremos allí en quince minutos. **(Hello, Ella. I want to take Stephanie away for the night. Could you please quickly make up some snacks and pack Steph a bag. Just a change of clothes, a pair of shoes and her makeup. Oh, and stick in an extra t-shirt of mine for her to sleep in. We'll be there in fifteen minutes.)**_


	7. Chapter 4 in Joyce's POV

_Disclaimer still applies. Warning for jealous, viperous thoughts. LOL_

~oooOOOooo~

**Chapter 4 from Joyce's POV**

Fuck me, I looked hot tonight! Brian couldn't take his eyes off me...

Of course, that was no surprise, really. I always looked sexy. I'd been told that by a lot of men. Unfortunately, I was still waiting to hear it from the one I really wanted to hear it from. I wasn't going to let that thought get me down, though. I was finally here; I should be happy!

I'd been wanting to try this new club for a few weeks and hadn't found anyone I really wanted to go with. Okay, if I was honest, I couldn't find anyone to take me. Joe finally broke off our "relationship" a month ago, saying he was tired of being in it for sex and there was no way he wanted a real relationship with me. It was that damn slut's fault. Miss "I'm-Better-Than-You-Are" Plum. If he hadn't been so attached to her, I'd have had my way with him long before now. Whatever. I was here with Brian, and even though we'd just met earlier today, I could tell we were going to have _fun_.

I came out of my thoughts and said, "Brian, baby, get the door for me." I motioned to the door.

Damn, he was sexy. Tall, blond, great green eyes, and quite the sexy ass from what I could tell. _Hopefully I'll find out what's under the clothes later._ If I were honest with myself, he wasn't very bright and he didn't have a clue how to treat a real woman. I felt like I'd been having to say things to him twice tonight to make him understand, and he hadn't once opened my door for me. Plus, he'd had the balls to sit and honk at me when he picked me up, rather than coming up to the door! It was like he was only sixteen. I looked back his his ass and realized who needed a brain or manners?

As he opened the door to the club, I heard the Latin music pouring out and started moving my hips to the beat as we made our way to the dance floor.

Then I saw her.

_What the fucking hell?_ I couldn't but yell in my head. Why the hell was Stephanie Plum here? Who was she dancing with? My jaw dropped when I saw she was with the sexiest man I'd ever met, Mr. Ranger Manoso. I could seriously eat him up. What was he doing with _her,_ of all people? Didn't he know she was just trash?

Grabbing Brian's hand, I figured that I'd show Stephanie a thing or two. We made our way out onto the dance floor. Within seconds, I had my ass pressed up against him and we were moving to the strong beat. I'd show Ranger a thing or two about sexy and make sure he knew what he was missing out on!

After several songs, Brian started to make noises about going to the bar to get something to drink, so I let him lead me off the dance floor and to the bar to get a vodka on the rocks. I downed it in one long gulp, and just as I was about to take a look at the dance floor again, I saw the happy couple making their way toward the bar. I grabbed Brian and led him back to dance, trying unsuccessfully to brush up against Ranger as we passed.

Brian and I began dancing, and when I turned to face the bar, I caught Stephanie's eyes on me. I smiled a wicked little smile and pulled Brian closer to me. It really felt like we were having wild sex right out there in front of everyone. Shit, the guy may be stupid, but he was a fuckin' awesome dancer.

My smile faltered as I watched Stephanie lead Ranger back toward the bathroom. What was she? Five? Had to have a friend go with her to tinkle? I rolled my eyes and concentrated on my date since Ranger wasn't in view.

Several minutes later, I watched as a flushed Stephanie and dazed Ranger came back to the dance floor. There was something different about the way she moved. She didn't look quite like she'd been fucked, but I knew that look.

"Fuckin' hell!" I shouted, just quiet enough that the music drowned out my words. I was right. I did know that look! Stephanie was going commando right now. If I wasn't having my monthly visitor, I'd be that free right now, too. Dammit.

"Um, Joyce, can we get some more to drink and sit down?" Brian asked.

I grumbled and slowly made my way back to the bar. We stood there waiting for our drinks until I saw Ranger lead Stephanie off the floor and grab a booth that had just opened up. We finally got our drinks and Brian led us to one of the only tables available. Unfortunately, it had a very clear view of the booth the slut and her date sat in.

I watched as a waitress took drinks over to them and pointed at a table near them. It looked like someone had ordered the drinks for the two of them. I huffed under my breath. They hadn't been that hot out there. Brian and I had been better.

Pretty soon, I saw Ranger lift Stephanie onto his lap, and my jaw nearly dropped to the table when I saw her eyes drift closed and her mouth open. Her cheeks were tinged with pink. With the way Ranger's arm was moving, I knew he was doing something her mother would not approve of. Several minutes later, Stephanie's eyes opened and Ranger was kissing her neck. They stood up, carefully rearranged themselves, and started to leave.

I wasn't exactly sure what had gone on, but I knew what I was going to do first thing in the morning. The 'Burg gossip train was going to pull out of the station, and I was going to be the lead conductor. _Choo-choo!_ Stephanie Plum went dancing with Ranger Manoso, took her panties off in public, and fucked him in the booth at Leather and Lace. That would teach that slut to act like she was better than me!


	8. Chapter 4 in the skip's POV

_Warning: Some more vulgar language & adult content is used in this chapter, so if you get easily offended, you might want to skip it. Also, this chapter does include the "N" word. Just because it is used in this chapter does not mean it reflects on my personal beliefs, just the skip's ('cause he's a rotten creep of a jackass). I mean no offense to anyone by using it, and I hope you read it in the context it was written. Disclaimer still applies (although obviously, the skip & his attitude & language belong to me...)._

~oooOOOooo~

**Chapter 4 from the Skip's POV**

I pulled up to the club around eleven thirty. I was seriously hurting for some pussy and felt my dick tighten in anticipation. I was sure I'd be able to find some playmates tonight. Whether they went willingly or not didn't matter. I patted my jacket pocket, feeling the two syringes to make sure I hadn't forgotten them.

The first thing I noticed after walking in was that none of the couples really sparked any interest. Of course, that hadn't stopped me before, but it certainly didn't make it as...pleasurable. I decided to take a table across from the bar and see if anyone else made a late-night appearance before choosing my next toys.

I flagged down the waitress and ordered a scotch on the rocks. I'd just knocked it back when this gorgeous brunette walked in. Her date had his arm possessively around her waist, and I could literally feel the sexual tension from across the room. I grinned, knowing the night had just become quite a bit more interesting.

The couple moved to the dance floor and began to dance, their bodies pressed tightly against one another. They were definitely hot. The man had hair down to just past his shoulders and his dark skin complimented her pale skin perfectly. I felt myself salivate, wanting to taste them. To lick off the sweat from their fear. My eyes burned holes in their backs as they danced.

Soon, the door to the club opened and another couple walked in. The woman was blonde and had huge tits compared to the brunette. She wasn't nearly as pretty, but her boobs and slutty outfit were going to keep her in the running for my next fuck toy. Her date was a good-looking guy, but nothing out of the ordinary. I watched them head to the dance floor too, where they moved so close together that I didn't think I could've gotten a single sheet of paper between them. Soon, he had his tongue down her throat and his hands were squeezing her ass.

I watched the first couple head toward the bar. As they waited for their drinks, they kissed. I was afraid the sparks they were shooting off would fly across the room and catch my hair on fire. The bartender set a Corona and a margarita down on the bar beside them, and they disentangled themselves to take a drink. Soon, they set the nearly empty glass and bottle back and headed off to the back hallway with the bathrooms.

The thought of them going back there to have a quick fuck made my pulse shoot up. That was good. Let 'em get themselves all worked up here and it would be that much better when I got my turn.

I turned my attention to lucky couple number two. They were still going at it on the dance floor, looking like they were having sex in front of everyone. Hey, whatever floats their boat. I'd much rather make my...activities...private.

Suddenly, my eyes noticed movement in the entry from the bathroom hallway. It was the lucky couple, and as they passed me, I saw the man move his hand down to cup her sweet ass and squeeze. He looked at me with a wild-like grin. _Yeah, buddy, your woman is fuckin' hot and sexy,_ I thought to myself as I leered at her ass. I'd show them later just hot hot she was. That ass would be mine.

They went back out to dance, and when he spun her during one of the dances, I caught a flash of her bare ass. The bitch had gone back there and taken off her panties! My dick jumped at the thought. Maybe I wouldn't even need to make it home with them. I'd just throw her on my lap in the car and let her ride me all the way home.

When the music changed, he pulled her even tighter to him. It was so fucking sexy that my dick nearly jumped out of my pants. My fingers crept into my jacket and fingered the syringes.

The couple finished the song and headed to a booth near me that had just opened up. He sat down, pulled her down with him, and before you could blink, they were back together, tongues dancing behind their kissing lips. Fuck, I wanted that tongue of hers on my dick.

_Patience, Ben..._

I motioned to the waitress. "Hey, sugar, could you take this, order a margarita and a Corona, and deliver 'em to that booth there? Tell 'em my treat."

"Sure," she said, moving away quickly.

I watched her put the order in and then grab the drinks and make her way back to our winning couple. She set the drinks down and pointed to me. "Compliments of the man at the table over there," I heard her say as she motioned to me.

The man picked up his beer and tilted it toward me in silent thanks. The woman just smiled shyly. They drank for a minute, and suddenly, the man pulled her up onto his lap, facing away from him. I wondered for a minute if he was going to fuck her there in front of everyone. My dick nearly exploded at the thought. Out on the dance floor was one thing, but back in the booth where they had some bit of privacy, it was like they were putting on a show for my eyes only.

When I saw her eyes close and her head fall back, along with the movement of his arm, I realized he was fingering her cunt. I couldn't stop staring as I let my mind wander to what I would do to them once I had them at my house.

I would tie them up and keep 'em drugged to make 'em weak. Then I'd smack 'em around for a while to get 'em all willing. I would force him to watch as I made her suck my dick, ramming it so hard down her throat that I gagged her. I loved to watch a woman choke on my cock. Then I'd make him watch as I fucked her in her cunt and that ass I'd gotten a glimpse of a few minutes before.

Finally, because I don't discriminate, I'd move to him and force her to watch as I did him the same way I'd done her. Something told me his ass was virginal, and there was nothing like a virgin ass to bring out the beast in me. Once I'd had my fill, maybe I'd take 'em out to the dump and leave 'em.

My dick jumped at the thought of fucking them both, and I wanted to take 'em out right that minute, but I waited patiently. From the noises coming from the bitch, I knew she was about done.

Soon, I saw her relax against him, and after kissing her neck for a few minutes, they stood up, preparing to leave. I waited until they got over near the bar and then stood up to follow them out.

The minute I walked outside, I felt a pair of strong arms grabbed me.

I shouted loudly, "What the fuck? Get off me!"

"Ben Nichols, we're bond enforcement agents, and you need to come with us back to lockup," a man said forcefully.

I started to fight back and nearly got a hit in before another pair of arms grabbed me and pushed me to the ground. "Fuck! Get off me, you assholes! Leave me the fuck alone!"

I felt the cold of the steel handcuffs snap around my wrists behind my back and then I was jerked up to a standing position. This huge nigger started patting me down. Without a word, he pulled out the two syringes and handed them off to another large man before tossing his keys to another guy and pulled me over to a waiting truck.

Fuck. I was so fucked, I thought as the door slammed in my face.


	9. Chapter 4 in Lester's POV

_Disclaimer still applies._

~oooOOOooo~

**Chapter 4 from Lester's POV**

Walking into the club, I started a quick glance around the place, needing to locate our target. I didn't see him at first, but one of the waitresses caught my eye. She was really sexy and looked like quite the little spitfire. I watched her pass by a group of tables and booths and hoped that was where I'd be heading. She reached the bar and glanced at me. I gave her a big smile, pleased when she smiled back.

When I looked around the room again for Nichols, I spotted him back in the section I thought the hottie had been working, and as my luck would have it, there was an open booth near him. I quickly moved over to grab it.

The booth I was now holding for Bossman and Beautiful was only a few feet away from our badboy skip and was going to be the perfect place to put on a show for him.

Suddenly, I heard Ranger's voice over the mic, telling Steph where everyone was located.

I heard Tank, Bobby, and Hal confirm their positions, and I muttered affirmatively when he asked if everyone was ready.

Looking in the mirror on the wall, I watched them walk in, Ranger's arm possessively around Steph's waist. They didn't hesitate to head out to the dance floor, like they'd done this a thousand times. Who knows, maybe they had. The guys and I weren't totally in the know about what they did on their time off.

Steph always looked beautiful, but tonight... Damn. I knew she'd been putting on a show for Ranger, but she'd gotten me all tied up in knots, too. That damn dress was sexy without making her look slutty, which she sometimes did for a distraction. Granted, that was what was needed sometimes, but tonight, she looked hotter than I'd ever seen her look for a job. It was like she'd pulled out all the stops. Fuck me if it wasn't working. I would bet money I wasn't the only one who'd had a solid hard-on since she walked into the first club tonight. Not that I'd ever admit that to the boss... We joked about getting shipped to a third world country, but even I knew when not to press my luck.

I kept them in the corner of my eye while they danced, but mainly focused on the beer in front of me so I could keep an eye on Nichols, who was off to my upper left. After two songs, I saw he couldn't keep his eyes off the two of them.

When I told Ranger and Steph they already had the skip's attention, they ignored me, continuing to dance and make out in the middle of the dance floor. I chuckled to myself. I sure hoped Steph wasn't embarrassed about this later. It looked like it was going to be a fun couple of hours. I was going to _have_ to find a date if they kept that up!

From the corner of my eye, I caught a movement from the door, and when my brain processed who it was, I growled in disgust. I hissed the new intel into my mic. Even though they didn't even pause their actions, I heard Ranger make a noise to show he'd heard me.

I watched Joyce and her date head out to the floor and saw her surprise when she caught sight of Ranger and Steph. She shot them a look of pure hatred mixed with...jealousy, maybe? Then she grabbed her date and began a dance that, had it been anyone but the whore of Trenton, would've been sexy.

I motioned to the sexy waitress for another beer. When she brought it over to me, I grinned. "How ya' doin'?"

She laughed. "I'm good. You here by yourself, handsome?"

"Yeah, just needed to blow off some pent-up tension. Been a long night."

"Well, relax. I'll be back with another beer if you just give me a sign." She smiled a sexy grin and walked off.

Damn, her ass was perfect. As I watched her walk back toward the bar, I just wanted to get up, follow her, and squeeze it.

After a few more songs, I saw Ranger lead Steph off the dance floor to the bar. Once they'd gotten their drinks, they stood there, as close together as they'd been while dancing, as they drank them for several minutes. I could see Steph watching the "Joyce Show" and worrying.

Joyce's dance was admittedly pretty hot, although I wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole. I wondered how much she'd had to pay the dude she was out with tonight. That thought made me chuckle to myself, and I told myself to remember to ask Tank that later.

Steph told Ranger she'd come up with a plan to get the skip's attention back on them. She led Ranger out the doorway in the back that led to the bathrooms. They were out of my viewpoint, but I could hear them over my ear piece. Steph said, "Wait here for me."

Not even a minute later, I heard the bathroom door open again and then Ranger's voice. "Everything okay, Babe?"

"I'm good, thanks. Can you do me a favor? I don't have anywhere to put these, so can you put them in your pocket until later, please?"

I wondered what in the world she'd given him. Maybe her earrings were bothering her and she'd taken them out.

Ranger's voice was low when he answered her. "Babe, let's go dance. I want to feel you up against me."

Then...I knew.

Somehow, I just knew that Steph had gone into the restroom and taken off her panties. Fuck me with all that is holy, she was now naked under that damn dress. I thought I couldn't get any harder, but suddenly, I felt like I was hard enough that I might split my pants wide open. I slipped my hand under the table to adjust myself, feeling like shit because I couldn't do anything for relief at the moment.

When they came back into the main room of the club, Ranger's hand was down low, probably at her ass. Nichols couldn't take his eyes off the two of them.

The first song slipped into a second, and then a third, and after thirty minutes, one of Ranger's favorites came on. I knew he loved "Un Beso," and one of his favorite dances was the Bachata, so it didn't surprise me that he started dancing that. To my surprise, Steph slipped right into the dance with him. He had himself pressed right up against her pussy, and I moaned loudly. Fuck me, it just kept getting harder to watch them.

The hottie waitress interrupted my thoughts to bring me a new drink. "My treat. You looked like you needed a new one."

I felt my cock stir. "Thanks, gorgeous. My name's Les. What's yours, and what time do you get off tonight?"

She laughed, answering in a melodic voice, "Annie, and two o'clock. Why?"

"I'm just wondering if you'd be up for a late dinner or early breakfast after your shift. I noticed you when I first came in and want to get to know you."

"This have anything to do with the couple on the dance floor? They're pretty damn sexy, and—" as she peeked at my lap "—it seems like you're definitely getting worked up watching them."

_Oh my fuck. I think she's my angel!_ "Just food, Annie, I promise!" I grinned and winked at her, enjoying the blush that spread across her cheeks.

"Two o'clock, then. See you in a while, Les," she said over her shoulder as she walked away, shaking her ass for me.

_Hot damn._

I looked back at Ranger and Steph and then at Nichols. The guy couldn't keep his eyes off them. I told Steph that the skip hadn't looked at Joyce once since they got back into the room, and she didn't respond. Ranger did, though.

"Shut up, Santos," he said, and then I watched as he removed both his and Steph's ear pieces.

Hah. We could still hear them, but now, they wouldn't hear my reactions. I opened up my cell phone, pretending to talk on it. "Tank, Bobby, Hal...you guys are missing out. Hal, too bad you aren't behind bar in here. You'd flip. They're all over each other. It's like they've forgotten there's anyone else in the room."

Bobby and Hal laughed, but Tank cursed. "I hope Ranger knows what he's doing and doesn't forget where he's at and why."

"Nah, man, I think he's cool. Ranger knows what he's doing. Not so sure about Steph, though..."

Finally, the song changed and I saw Ranger and Steph heading my way. I waited until I knew they could claim the table before I hopped up, leaving them the booth, and headed over to the bar. I grabbed a seat where I could still see Nichols and my favorite couple. By the time I looked back over, Ranger had pulled Steph down beside him in the booth and they were kissing.

I saw Annie get stopped by Nichols. She glanced at Ranger and Steph and then headed to the bar. I smiled at her when she came up beside me.

She told the bartender she wanted a margarita and a Corona. As she turned, she brushed her breasts against my arm, causing my cock to tighten even more. "See ya later, handsome," she whispered.

She walked over to Steph and Ranger's booth and set the drinks down. "Compliments of the man at the table over there," she said, her voice clear over the mics they were wearing.

Ranger and Steph silently thanked the skip and took a drink.

I thought I'd come in my pants when I saw Ranger lift Steph suddenly up onto his lap, facing her away from him. I knew Nichols was in for a show now.

"Holy shit," I told the guys outside in a low voice. I proceeded to describe where Steph was. Then I watched Ranger's arm moving slightly and knew where he was moving his hand. "I think Bossman has his fingers up Steph's—"

I was cut off in mid-sentance by Tank's commanding voice. "Santos, finish that sentence and I'll personally pound you into the ground for Ranger."

I gulped and shut up, watching as I heard soft moans coming from Steph. I heard Ranger's breath catch, and then Steph said in a rather loud voice, "Ranger, fuck, I'm going to come again!"

It was like a car wreck. I didn't want to watch. I knew I shouldn't. But fuck if I was going to look away... I watched Ranger's arm move a bit faster and heard both of them breathing harder than they had been. Finally, Steph gave a loud gasp, and I almost thought I could hear it even without the mics. I turned to look at Nichols and saw that he was watching them so intently that he wasn't even blinking.

A minute later, I saw Ranger sliding their ear pieces back in place. As he nuzzled Steph's neck, he said, "What's the latest on the skip, Santos?"

"Uh, yeah. Boss, he'd follow you anywhere right now," I said after clearing my throat. I lowered my voice and mumbled under my breath, "I think all of us would."

"Ready to go, Babe?" Ranger asked Steph.

It was one thirty by that time and the crowd had thinned out considerably since the club was closing at two. I watched them pass by Nichols, and Steph gave him a little smile and wave goodbye. After they'd gone a few steps, Nichols got up to follow, tossing a handful of bills on the table.

"Skip is up and following, Boss," I told the team. I waited until they were almost to the door before I got up, mouthed to Annie that I'd be back in a few minutes, and headed out myself.

I got to the door just in time to hear Tank's spiel and the noise of a scuffle.

After making sure he was secure, I said, "We got this guy, Boss. You guys take off. Oh, and thanks for the show!"

Ranger growled for me to meet him on the mats in the morning as he pulled Steph toward the car.

I laughed, knowing what he was going to be doing in a few minutes. Within seconds, their mics were off and ear pieces were out and they were inside Ranger's car.

I turned back around to see Tank and Hal beginning to haul Nichols up off the ground. "Hey, Tank, you guys mind all going back in one vehicle and leaving me here with the other? I made a new friend tonight. Hottest little waitress I've ever seen. Boobs to die for, ass I just wanna grab onto and squeeze..."

"Fuck, Santos, I didn't wanna hear that. That's fine, man. See ya back at Haywood," he grumbled, tossing me a set of keys.

"Thanks, man. See you guys," I said as I turned around to head back into the club. I switched off my mic and took that and the ear piece out, placing them in my pocket along with the keys.

I made my way up to the bar and ordered a club soda, smiling at Annie as she passed me, heading back to the booths across from the bar. I watched her hips sway as she walked over to them, admiring her curves. She was short, especially compared to my height of six feet. Her hair was a gorgeous mix of blonde and brown, cut short at her jaw. That just made her hazel eyes pop out from her beautiful face.

I was still watching her as she walked back to me.

She leaned in, pressing her lips to my ear, and whispered, "I'll be right out, Les."

She nipped at my ear before moving away, and I nearly messed my pants. I was so fucking turned on from the show Ranger and Steph had put on that this gorgeous little thing nearly made me come undone.

_C'mon, Santos_, I ordered myself. _Get it together, man. Think of anything. Locker rooms. No, the _men's_ locker room, dammit. Old ladies. Ugh, Grandma Mazur. Yeah, that's the ticket._

By the time Annie came back out with her purse, I'd calmed myself down enough to walk.

She came up beside me and put her small hand on my bicep, giving it a soft squeeze. "Hey, handsome, you ready to go? The diner I'm thinking of is two blocks to the north. We could walk."

The diner sounded perfect. "Do you need to tell—" I motioned over to some of the other waitresses and the bartender. She didn't know me from Adam, so I thought she might want to give a head's up to someone to let them know where she was going and with who.

She laughed. "Why, Mr. Santos, are you worried about my safety?"

I raised an eyebrow, wondering how she knew my last name.

Shrugging, she said, "I asked around. Someone recognized you and said you were a good guy. She said you were some kind of cop?"

"Smart girl," I praised, smiling down at her. "I was actually working tonight, so I'm glad you agreed to get a bite to eat. I really wanted to sit and talk to you earlier, and I couldn't."

"Working?" She laughed. "What kind of job do you have where you can sit in the bar and drink?"

As we walked out of the club, I explained, "I'm a security specialist for a private security firm. You ever hear of RangeMan?"

"Oh! I've read about you guys. You played some part in helping after the Stark Street crap last year, didn't you? What were you doing at the club tonight?"

"Yeah, that was us. We were there tonight picking up an FTA. Bad guy jumped bail and we were hired to find him and bring him in. The hot couple on the dance floor was Steph and Ranger. The guy that ordered them the drinks was the bad guy."

"Steph," she said, her forehead scrunched up in concentration. "Wait, Stephanie Plum? Seriously? Wow, Trenton's own Bombshell Bounty Hunter in my club. Cool!"

I laughed.

"Did you guys get him?"

"If you asked anyone on our team, the answer would be the same. Bomber always gets her man."

"So besides helping clean up after drug dealers and picking up bad guys, what else do you do, Les?"

"We install security systems, dabble in real estate. A little bit of this and that. I enjoy it. Not a lot of downtime, which is why this is a rare treat for me."

We arrived at the diner, and I opened the door for her to duck under my arm. Annie snagged a booth toward the back, and I slid in across from her.

I really wanted to learn more about her, so after we ordered, I asked about her life.

"I'm twenty-four, single, and just finished getting my degree in Computer Information Systems."

Excellent, she was a smart girl. I liked that.

"I took some time off after high school and spent a year in the Peace Corps. I've always been a whiz at computers, so I spent the year helping set up new computer systems in lower income schools. Then my dad got sick, so I moved in with my mom for two years to help with my little brother and sister. He passed away a few years ago, so my mom forced me into school, telling me it would be a good example for Todd and Amanda."

Smart _and_ caring... Sweet!

"So here I am, waitressing at night while I look for a job during the day. What about you?"

It took me a moment to realize she had asked about me, and I quickly pulled my thoughts together. "I told you most of what I could about work already. There's a lot that's classified or protected that I can't share. Sorry about that."

"No worries." Her smile made me think she might really be cool with the secrecy that was forced on me because of my career.

"So anyway, I graduated high school and went straight into the Army. That's where I met Ranger and a few of the other guys I work with. After several years, I joined the Special Forces, and about four years ago, I got an honorable discharge and joined up with Ranger and our friend Tank, who'd started RangeMan together about six months before. Both my parents passed away while I was in the Army."

I paused, lost in my thoughts and memories for a moment before I felt her hand as she reached across the table and put it softly on top of mine.

I took a deep breath and smiled before continuing. "I'm twenty-seven, and I have a twin sister, as well as an older sister who's twenty-nine. Maria, the oldest, is an attorney in New York City, so I see her every few months. Lenora, or Nora as she likes to be called, lives in Miami. She and her husband Martin have a little boy named Ricardo. They moved down there after Martin's company transferred him, so I don't get to see them as much. RangeMan has a branch there, so I go every so often and work from there to spend time with the family."

We spent the next several hours eating and talking. She excused herself to use the ladies' room, and I sat back with my thoughts for a minute or two. I was really enjoying just talking to her. It was the first time I'd done that with a woman in as long as I could remember.

When I saw her coming back to the booth, I made a quick decision. Instead of letting her pass by to get to her side of the booth, I took her hand and pulled her down beside me. She fell in, laughing as she fell half on top of me. I realized I wanted her close, so I pulled her the rest of the way up on my lap and turned her sideways. We could still look at each other while continuing our conversation.

By the time the sun came up, I realized we'd been talking for hours. It was finally catching up to us, and we both began yawning uncontrollably. I paid the tab and we set out back to the club to get our vehicles.

As we left the diner, I didn't want to lose contact with her, so I tentatively reached out to take her hand. I smiled softly when I felt her fingers twist around mine. We walked quietly, enjoying the peace and beauty of the sunrise.

When we got back to the club, I followed Annie to her car.

"I had a good time, Les," she said, smiling up at me.

"I did, too, Annie. Definitely the most fun I've ever had after a distraction." I'd explained more in detail earlier about Steph's job and why they called it what they did. "Can I call you?"

She got her cell phone out of her bag and handed it to me. Before I could think to give her mine, she reached over and snagged it from my belt. I laughed and started putting in my phone number to her phone.

After I'd gotten my phone back from her, I put my arms around her waist. She tilted her head back to look up at me again. I pulled her closer to me and pressed my lips gently to hers. We broke away a minute later, breathing hard.

"Wow," she whispered.

"Yeah," I sighed softly. "Wow is a good word."

I leaned down, and this time, my lips were more forceful against hers. She leaned into me, her hands moving up my back. I wanted more, so I slowly slid my tongue out and between her lips. She moaned and wiggled her hips against me for a minute.

When we finally broke apart, she said, "Call me, Les. Anytime. And be careful at work." She smiled, got into the car, and started it up.

Before she could put it in drive to leave, I knocked on the window. Once it was down, I leaned in and gave her another quick kiss before patting the top of the car and shooing her away. As she drove away, I saw her wave over her shoulder. I watched her for a second and then trotted over to the truck on the other side of the lot.

I impressed myself. I gave her ten minutes before calling to make sure she'd gotten home safely.

"Hey, Les," she said, laughing. "That was fast!"

"I just wanted to make sure you got home okay," I admitted sheepishly.

"I did, thanks. That was sweet." I swear I could hear a smile coming through the phone. "Gotta get some sleep before heading back to the job hunt. Talk to you again soon?"

"Sure thing, gorgeous. Bye." I hung up.

Not a minute later, my phone rang, and I heard "It's a Hard Knock Life," which was one of the _Annie_ songs I had buried in my folder of music—which she'd apparently found as she was putting in her number. I laughed as I answered. "You found my hidden stash, huh?"

She laughed along with me. "I couldn't help it. I love that soundtrack. I didn't really have a reason to call other than to tell you to stop by the club the next night you have off and I'll get you a beer on the house."

"Thanks, Annie, I will. See you again soon, okay?"

Another two minutes, and I was back at RangeMan. I nodded to the guys in the control room and was just about to go in my apartment, when Tank's door opened.

"Santos, just getting home?" he asked with a grin.

"Yeah, man. Long night."

For some reason, I didn't want to share yet that I'd spent hours talking with one of the most gorgeous women I'd ever met. And I really didn't want to share that the kisses with her had nearly been my undoing. There were just some things that the nosy "RangeMan gossip vine" didn't need to know.

I smiled at Tank and closed my door. Within five minutes, I'd taken a cold shower and pulled on a clean pair of boxers. Finally, I passed out on the bed from exhaustion, thoughts of Annie flitting through my head as I fell asleep.

~oooOOOooo~

_A/N: Lester & Annie's story continues in "Casanova's Angel."_


	10. Chapter 4 in Annie's POV

_Disclaimer still applies._

~oooOOOooo~

**Chapter 4 from Annie's POV**

Fuck, I was tired. It'd been a long shift already, and I still had a couple more hours to go. All I wanted to do was get home, take a bubble bath, and go to bed. I was so damn horny, though. I'd have to work in a session with my "rabbit" tonight if I wanted to be able to sleep.

I was heading back to the bar to pick up drinks for one of my tables when the sexiest man I'd ever seen walked through the door. He was tall—he had to be about six feet—with muscles that were rippling under his tight T-shirt. And that ass. Oh my God! I prayed he would sit down in my section.

I watched as he glanced around the room. He caught my eye, smiled a gorgeous big grin, and then resumed looking around the rest of the room. He must have seen what he was looking for because the smile dropped from his face and he started moving purposefully across the floor.

_Please, oh please! Yes!_

He took a seat at a booth right across from the bar, right in my section. That would make the next two hours much, _much_ more enjoyable.

I spent the next twenty minutes moving among the tables, glancing every so often at the gorgeous guy in the booth nursing a Corona. Suddenly, he caught my eye and motioned to his bottle. I nodded my head and turned toward the bar.

Grabbing a new beer, I made my way to him. When he smiled at me, I felt a pull all the way down to my toes and everywhere in between. And his voice!

I told him to give me a sign if he wanted another beer and then turned and walked off, giving my hips an extra sway.

Several minutes later, I looked over to the dance floor and saw a cute brunette in a short dress dancing with a stunning, but almost dangerous-looking man with long, black hair. They were wrapped up in a dance so hot, I would have sworn they could burn up the atmosphere around them. It seemed like everyone in the bar thought so, as no one could take their eyes off them. Even the sexy guy in the booth was watching them.

Watching his face tighten in a look I knew oh-so-well right now, I decided to take pity on him. I grabbed a fresh beer, pulled out some of my tips to give to Mark behind the bar, and then walked over to the booth.

"My treat. You looked like you needed a new one."

He grinned and introduced himself before asking what time I got off tonight.

My immediate answer in my head was, As soon as possible, but instead, I told him my name and two o'clock. "Why?"

When he suggested a late dinner or early breakfast, my insides flipped.

"This have anything to do with the couple on the dance floor? They're pretty damn sexy, and—" I paused, peeked at the growing bulge in his jeans "—it seems like you're definitely getting worked up watching them."

He held up his hands in surrender. "Just food, Annie, I promise!" Then his smile grew even bigger, and he winked at me.

"Two o'clock, then. See you in a while, Les." I strolled off, shaking my ass for him. _Dry spell, __usted tiene más de_!

A couple of minutes later, I watched him pull out his cell phone and speak into it. Suddenly, he stood up and walked over toward the bar. _Damn, I hope he isn't leaving!_

I was checking on the tables near the dance floor when I was pulled out of my thoughts by a hand on my arm.

"Hey, sugar, could you take this, order a margarita and a Corona, and deliver 'em to that booth there? Tell 'em my treat," the man at the table said. He was kind of creeping me out, holding on to my arm and giving me this odd look.

I shook my arm loose. "Sure," I said, moving away quickly.

I walked over by Les at the bar and told Mark the order. When I turned back around, I was close enough that I brushed my breasts against Les's arm, and I felt my nipples pucker into hard little nubs.

"See ya later, handsome," I whispered as I moved away to the booth where the hot couple from the dance floor was now sitting.

I set the drinks down and pointed to the man at the table near them, letting them know the drinks were from him.

I got busy delivering drinks for the next few minutes, and when I looked across the dance floor, the man with the long hair had pulled his date up on his lap. From the looks of it, they were involved in something extremely hot and heavy. I knew I should probably stopped them, but damn! It was sexy! They weren't hurting anyone. After looking around to make sure no one was bothered, I decided to let it go.

Finally, they stood up and started making their way to the door. I was bringing drinks to another table when Les caught my eye and mouthed to me, "_I'll be back in a few __minutes."_

I nodded and turned back to my table.

The next time I turned around, Les was there, sitting at the bar as he nursed a club soda. When he smiled at me, I smiled back and headed across to my final table for the night. I handed them their drinks and made my way back to the bar.

When I got to him, I leaned up against him, pressing myself against his arm and shoulder. My lips touched his ear and I whispered, "I'll be right out, Les." Then I went to the back to grab my purse and clock out.

While there, I grabbed a couple of the other girls who were already getting ready to leave for the night. "Hey, Shel, Tracy... Did you see the hot guy I was flirting with at the booth and then at the bar?"

Shelly shook her head, but Tracy nodded. "Lester...something, right? Santiago, maybe?" She pursed her lips, and then her eyes lit up. "No, Lester Santos! I've seen him around a few times, and remember when my uncle's jewelry store was robbed? I was there when cutie pie out there came in to take the report. He's a cop or something. Good guy."

"Why?" Shelly asked, raising an eyebrow. "Got a hot date?"

I grinned. "Actually, yes. Well, sort of." Laughing, I said, "I'm gonna take him down to the diner to get something to eat."

They smiled and said they'd see me the next time we were on shift together, and then I left the back room and made my way to the bar.

I could feel Lester's eyes on me as I walked back to him. Putting my hand on his arm, I gave it a squeeze. "Hey, handsome, you ready to go? The diner I'm thinking of is two blocks to the north. We could walk."

He nodded and said, "Do you need to tell—"

Laughing, I asked, "Why, Mr. Santos, are you worried about my safety?"

I could see his surprise when he raised an eyebrow, and I shrugged.

"I asked around. Someone recognized you and said you were a good guy. She said you were some kind of cop?"

I laughed again when he said he'd been working, and I couldn't help but tease about what kind of job he must have where he can sit in the bar and drink.

It wasn't too cold out as we walked out of the club. I listened while Les told me about his job as we walked.

We arrived at the diner, and when Les opened the door for me, I ducked under his arm and went inside. I snagged a booth toward the back, and Les slid in across from me.

After we ordered, Les asked about my life. I told him about my dad, school, and the Peace Corps, and then I asked him more about himself.

I listened as he told me more about his job at RangeMan, his family, friends, and free time. When he apologized for not telling me more about his job, I smiled and assured him it was okay. Was I disappointed? Yeah, a little, but it wasn't something I could change, so it was something I would live with if I wanted to get to know him more.

We spent the next several hours eating and talking. I excused myself to use the ladies room. When I got back to the booth, Les grabbed my hand before I could sit down across from him and pulled me down beside him. I fell into the booth, landing half on his lap. We laughed and I smiled to myself when he pulled me the rest of the way up onto his lap. It gave me the perfect advantage point to still be able to see him as we talked.

We'd been talking for hours by the time the sun came up, and it was finally catching up to us, as we both began yawning uncontrollably. Les paid the tab, and we set out back to the club to get our vehicles.

As we left the diner, I felt his warm hand reach for mine, and I slipped my fingers through his. We walked quietly, just enjoying a few minutes of the gorgeous morning.

When we got back to the club, I led him to my car. "I had a good time, Les," I said, smiling up at him.

"I did, too, Annie. Definitely the most fun I've ever had after a distraction. Can I call you?"

I got my cell phone out of my bag, handed it to him, and snagged his from his belt. He laughed and started putting in his phone number into my phone. I programmed my number in, setting my ringtone to "It's a Hard Knock Life," which was hidden in amongst all the other ringtones. Someone was a closet _Annie_ fan... I chuckled before handing it back to him.

I felt Lester's arms go around me, and I tilted my head back to look up at him. He pulled me closer to him as I closed my eyes. Soon, I felt his lips soft on mine. We broke away a minute later, breathing hard.

"Wow," I whispered.

"Yeah," he breathed out. "Wow is a good word."

Then he leaned down, and this time, his lips were more forceful against mine. I leaned into him, my hands moving up his back, feeling his strength. When his tongue snaked out and slipped between my lips, I moaned and wiggled my hips against him for a minute.

When we finally broke apart, I said, "Call me, Les. Anytime. And be careful at work." I smiled, got into the car, and started it up.

He knocked on the window before I could pull away. I rolled it down and he leaned in and gave me another quick kiss before patting the top of the car. As I drove away, I waved over my shoulder and watched in my rear view mirror as he jogged over to his truck on the other side of the lot.

I drove the rest of the way home, smiling. I'd been home for about two minutes when my phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, I couldn't help but grin.

"Hey, Les," I answered with a chuckle. "That was fast!"

"I just wanted to make sure you got home okay," he said, sounding a bit shy.

"I did, thanks. That was sweet." I grinned, even knowing he couldn't see me. "Gotta get some sleep before heading back to the job hunt. Talk to you again soon?"

"Sure thing, gorgeous. Bye." He hung up.

I couldn't resist. I immediately dialed his phone. When he answered, he was laughing. "You found my hidden stash, huh?"

Laughing, I said, "I couldn't help it. I love that soundtrack. I didn't really have a reason to call other than to tell you to stop by the club the next night you have off and I'll get you a beer on the house."

"Thanks, Annie, I will. See you again soon, okay?"

I agreed and then hung up and went to lie down. I fell asleep immediately with a smile on my face, knowing what my dreams would consist of this time around.

~oooOOOooo~

_A/N: Lester & Annie's story continues in "Casanova's Angel."_

_Translation:_

_usted tiene más de **(you are over)**_


	11. Author's Note Sequel!

Be sure to check out the sequel to _Third Time's a Charm_, featuring Lester and Annie: _Casanova's Angel_.


End file.
